Kentucky Middle School educators win $1 million Powerball prize

Excitement is buzzing in the teacher's lounge at Rector A. Jones Middle School in northern Kentucky. A group of 30 teachers and other employees, some retired, won a $1 million Powerball prize this week. The lottery pool, who call themselves the Jones 30, includes teachers, counselors, and school administrators.

Three cheers for the Jones 30

Refusing to give up, the Jones 30 have been playing the same Powerball numbers since 2019. They chose their numbers by drawing them randomly from a hat. The winning ticket was kept safe, tucked between the pages of a math textbook for safekeeping.

The organizer of the Jones 30, a retired math teacher, told Kentucky Lottery officials that she knew the ticket was in a safe place:

No one looks in a math book. I knew it would be safe there… page 200. I have checked this 1,000 times.

Their numbers finally hit on the January 27 drawing. The winning numbers were 5, 18, 19, 41, 43, and Powerball number 14. The team matched the numbers on all five white balls but missed the Powerball number, which gave them a $1 million prize.

Sharon Reynolds, a vice principal at the middle school, told the Kentucky Lottery that she got a call from another member of the Jones 30 saying she believed they had won:

She said, “I think we won big.” I said, “How big?”. She replied, “I think it's a million.”

The Jones 30 carpooled for the 90-minute drive to the lottery headquarters in Frankfurt. Once there, they claimed their individual winnings, which amounted to $24,000 each after tax withholdings.

After Kentucky Lottery President Mary Harville handed them the winning checks, she said:

Kentucky Lottery games create fun for our players, and these winning educators were having the time of their lives.

A love for teaching and the community

The win happened at the perfect time for Sharon Reynolds, who has been a teacher at the school for 23 years. One of her three daughters is getting married later this year, while another needs new tires for her car. She said:

As teachers, we don't make big money. I wish every teacher in Kentucky would get this.

Other members of the lottery pool said they intended to use the money to take care of small but important things like paying off debts, booking vacations, and buying new appliances.

Jones' 30 members and computer administrator at the school, Regina Brownfield, summed up how much the team loves their community when she said:

This is the place. We love this place. Once a Jet, always a Jet.

Only 13 members of the group still work at Jones Middle School. The others are working in different schools or retired. The Jones 30 plan to continue playing the lottery.