PRATT, HURRICANE & HUNTINGTON, WV – Gov. Jim Justice traveled to three of the highest-vaccinated schools across the state today, presenting students and staff at each school with a $50,000 check as winners in the West Virginia Department of Education’s I Got Vaxxed Competition.
The winning schools announced today were Pratt Elementary School in Kanawha County, Hurricane High School in Putnam County, and Hite Saunders Elementary School in Cabell County.
Gov. Justice was joined by his pet English Bulldog, Babydog, for today’s award ceremonies.
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For Gov. Justice’s first stop of the day, he and Babydog traveled to greet students at Pratt Elementary School and announce their school had won one of the $50,000 prizes.
Pratt Elementary plans to use their winnings to purchase a cover for the sidewalk from the parking lot to the front door. The school also plans to install an electronic school marquee for the front of the building and would like to furnish a “down area” for students to go when they feel the need.
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Next, the Governor and Babydog made their way to visit Hurricane High School, announcing that their school had also won one of the $50,000 prizes.
Hurricane High School plans to use their winnings to make their 2022 Prom their best ever and to hold an event at the school for HHS families to enjoy.
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Today marked the third time in two months that the Governor and Babydog have traveled to Hurricane High School to announce a major award. Gov. Justice previously visited HHS to award two students – Livvi Miller and Connor Reece – each with full-ride college scholarships through the “Do it for Babydog” vaccination sweepstakes.
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Finally, Gov. Justice and Babydog stopped by Hite Saunders Elementary School in Huntington and announced that their school was another one of the $50,000 prize winners.
Hite Saunders Elementary School plans to use their winnings to purchase materials for Mad Scientist Day – a full day of science experiments for all grades – plus several educational field trips, purchasing sensory materials for students, and to update their playground equipment.
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The I Got Vaxxed Competition was announced by Gov. Justice and the WVDE to encourage eligible school-aged children, faculty, and staff to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Through the competition, a total of 12 public and private schools – four elementary schools, four middle schools, and four high schools – with the largest percentage of eligible vaccinated staff and students will each win $50,000 to use for activities or initiatives which will improve the student experience. To encourage full participation, students were polled to have input on how they would like the funds to be used.
After the WVDE initially launched the program offering prizes of $25,000 for winning schools, Gov. Justice supplemented the competition’s funding, increasing the prize award to $50,000 to further incentivize school communities to participate.
A total of 77 public and private schools entered the competition, and all submitted vaccination data was verified by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources to identify the winners. At least one winning school in each category is a private school.
Additional winning schools announced over the past week include:
- Nov. 9 ceremonies:
- Andrew Jackson Middle School
- Elkview Middle School
- Geary Elementary & Middle School
- Morgantown Learning Academy
- Nov. 15 ceremonies:
- Mountaineer Montessori
- Charleston Catholic High School
- Nov. 16 ceremony:
- Today’s ceremonies:
- Pratt Elementary School
- Hurricane High School
- Hite Saunders Elementary School
The remaining two I Got Vaxxed Competition winners will be announced soon.
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