SMYTH COUNTY, Va. – Two Virginia elementary school teachers now have a bit more to be thankful for than the summer.
Beth Pratt, a second-grade teacher at Atkins Elementary School in Smyth County, and Kristin Steele, a third-grade teacher at Botetourt Elementary School in Gloucester, each received a four-day, three-night, Virginia-themed vacation as part of the Virginia Lottery's Thank a Teacher campaign.
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The campaign, which helped show gratitude to move than 6,500 Virginia teachers, provides an opportunity for students to express their appreciation to teachers in their lives through thank-you cards, entering these teachers into a drawing for the grand prize.
"It's the everyday gifts, the thank-yous, the hugs, the pictures," that are the most rewarding, Pratt said. "Just when a child learns something and you can see that light bulb go off, that's the reward I need every day."