Group of Kentucky middle school employees celebrate $1 million Powerball prize

BOONE COUNTY, Ky. (WKRC) — A group of 30 current and former employees of a Boone County middle school in Kentucky won a $1 million Powerball prize.

They carpooled to the Kentucky Lottery on Tuesday to turn in their ticket that had been tucked away safely in a math book.

“No one looks in a math book,” the group's organizer joked. “I knew it would be safe there on page 200. I have checked this a thousand times.”

The educators refer to themselves as the “Jones 30” after Rector A. Jones Middle School in Florence where they all met.

“We all taught at the same school at one point or another,” one winner said. “We’ve got counselors, admins, special ed teachers, the school nurse. Some have moved on or retired but we still continue to do it. We’ve remained buddies for all of these years.”

They have been pooling their money to play the Kentucky Lottery for over eight years.

The group said they would continue their tradition of playing the Kentucky Lottery as a fun way to stay in touch.

Some members of the group plan to invest the money while others plan to use the funds for travel or home repairs.

The Kroger store on North Bend Road in Hebron gets $10,000 for selling the ticket.