If you were to walk into school and realize that most of your teachers are substitutes, it probably means that your CHS school teachers have won the lottery. During the Powerball mania of earlier this week that saw the jackpot surge to over 1.6 billion dollars, the faculty and staff created a pool which contained over 50 of the 80 teachers.

The winning numbers were 4 8 19 27 34 10, and unfortunately for the staff, the CHS member pool did not have matching numbers.

The pool’s money was collected by Mr. Lombardo and Mrs. Spier. “We are a centralized location, and we just did it one time and then we became the ones who did it. We only do it when it gets big,” Mr. Lombardo explained.

The jackpot of this Powerball rose incredibly because nobody won it since early November. Some think the reason the jackpot has been able to rise so high is because of the new rule. The numbers that contestants could choose from used to go up to 60, but since october the maximum number choice has raised to 69.

The chances of winning then change from one in 175 million to one to 292 million. After last saturday these odds only rose, as did ticket sales and the Powerball jackpot.

Once the jackpot gets to such a high level, the time for thinking about odds is over. Just getting a ticket gives a better chance of winning then not doing anything.

Half the fun of doing the lottery is being able to imagine what you would do if you won it. At CHS many of the teachers claims that if they won, they would not be in at work the next day. However, many are today as none won the lottery.

“If I won the lottery…” this has been the discussion topic throughout the country for the past week or so. At CHS it is no different.

Mrs. Hyland claims that if she won the lottery, “I would pay off my kids’ student loans, I’d pay off my house, [and] I’d get a shore house, definitely a shore house.” Following the trend that many other teachers admitted, Mrs. Hyland also stated that, “As much as I love teaching I would probably quit. Then I would volunteer.”

According to an article written by Nicole Bitette of the NY Daily News, 70 percent of all lottery winners lose their earnings within seven years. Most of this is due to the lavish lifestyle they indulge in after they collect their winnings. Winners also go bankrupt due to giving away money.

Donating to charity or paying off others’ debts can be a slippery slope after winning such large amounts of cash. With this in mind, sophomore Liam Whaton said that he buy a mansion and drop out of society “so people wouldn’t call [him] and ask for money.”

However, many students and teachers say if they won, they would donate some of their winnings to a charity. Mr. Lombardo said he would donate to his church but then said, “I’m gonna be selfish. I would get houses, monopoly style.”

Many seniors at CHS who have their mind on college, would use the Powerball winnings to, “pay off any debt [and] pay for my college education,” said Nick Cataldi.

Despite most the fact that winning such an immense amount of money would most likely mean one would not ever have to work, many CHS students said they would still pursue their college degree and make a career out of it.

One of these students is junior Jarrod Averill. “I would probably finish high school then get a business degree in college. I would run a soccer store but buy houses all over the world. I’d keep my friends and live with my family and not worry about money,” Averill said.

Like Averill, senior Lexi Colella would use her Powerball winnings to pursue her dream. “I would buy a recording studio and make an album. I would try and work with famous singers,” she said.

Mrs. Sucharski pointed out that the best part about winning the lottery would be no longer having to stress about an income. “I mean in high school, what are you guys focusing on? What you’re gonna do to make money. At an early age that’s what your focus is in life. It would be nice not to have to walk into a store and think ‘can I afford this?’ and it would be nice to do things as they come up, and not have to save up for it,” Sucharski said.

Mrs. Sucharski also said that after paying her bills, and paying off debt, she would like to spend money on fun adventures such as traveling to Europe, adding “I’m more into the cultural aspect of it,” she said.

Although no one local won the lottery it was still a fun activity to imagine what you would do with it if you won. IF you would like to share what you would have done with the money, comment below or tweet @CHSshipslog on twitter.