Office of the Governor > News > Press Releases > 2021 Press Releases > Gov. Justice presents $50,000 checks to two of West Virginia’s highest-vaccinated private schools through WVDE’s I Got Vaxxed Competition

Gov. Justice presents $50,000 checks to two of West Virginia’s highest-vaccinated private schools through WVDE’s I Got Vaxxed Competition

11/15/2021

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CHARLESTON, WV – Gov. Jim Justice traveled to two of the highest-vaccinated private schools in 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 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. The winning middle schools announced today were Mountaineer Montessori and Charleston Catholic High School. Other winning schools will be announced soon. Gov. Justice was joined by his pet English Bulldog, Babydog, for today’s award ceremonies. MOUNTAINEER MONTESSORI WATCH CEREMONY | PHOTO ALBUM For Gov. Justice’s first stop of the day, he and Babydog traveled to greet students at Mountaineer Montessori and announce their school had won one of the $50,000 prizes. Mountaineer Montessori plans to use the funds to upgrade A/V equipment to include a larger projector screen and speakers so that presentations from guest speakers can be viewed in the classroom. They also plan to create and enhance the outdoor learning, playing, and eating areas around the campus. This will allow for more time spent outside during the school day and during our after-school programs.  CHARLESTON CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL WATCH CEREMONY | PHOTO ALBUM Next, the Governor and Babydog made their way to visit Charleston Catholic High School, announcing that their school had also won one of the $50,000 prizes. CCHS plans to use their winnings for several events for their students, such as prom and an all-school picnic at the end of the year. They would like to bring some joy to their students and their families after the hard times of the pandemic. Share Tweet Forward

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