A middle school educator in the Chatham County Schools system struck gold with a recent lottery ticket purchase.
The North Carolina Education Lottery office revealed on Friday that Jean Johnson, a Goldston resident who taught AIG courses, is the first winner of a $10 million top prize. She bought the lucky 500X The Cash ticket for $50 at the Murphy Express on New Chatham Road in Siler City.
“I kept looking at it thinking, ‘This can’t be,’” Johnson told the state lottery commission about her winning moment.
Johnson has worked in public education for more than two decades, spending years at the Pre-K-8 Bennett School before adding J.S. Waters School, which is a K-8 school in Goldston, to her AIG programming.
According to Friday’s release, Johnson opted to take the lump sum of $6 million compared to the annuity prize. After the required state and federal tax withholdings, she went home with more than $4.3 million. The teacher told lottery officers she plans to use the money to buy her dream car of many years, a BMW convertible, as her first purchase. She also said there is a special, upcoming family event the winnings will help with.
“Our daughter just got engaged,” said Johnson, “and after I won I said, ‘I found a way to pay for the wedding.’”
Photo via the North Carolina Education Lottery.
The 500X The Cash game of the North Carolina Education Lottery system debuted in January with five top prizes of $10 million and 10 prizes of $250,000. Johnson’s win is the first of the $10 million prizes to be claimed, and seven $250,000 prizes have yet to be claimed.
Portions of North Carolina Education Lottery tickets go back to the state’s public schools. According to the lottery commission, education programs in Chatham County received $4.3 million of support from lottery funds in 2025.
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