Lee Howell hands Heather Walters the keys to her new car at Scotland High School.
Students gather in the gym at Scotland High School to hear the winner of a brand new car.
Scotland High School senior Heather Walters gets into her new Scotland Motors car.
LAURINBURG — The excitement was palpable in the Scotland High School Gym Thursday afternoon as students filed in for a drawing to win a car donated by Lee Howell and his business, Scotland Motors.
To have their name in the drawing to win the white 2021 Nissan Versa, students had to meet a list of requirements. They had to maintain a 3.0 GPA throughout the school year, have no more than one absence per 9 weeks, have no in or out-of-school suspensions, and no tardies. The contest was open to all grade levels. Approximately 250 students were eligible to win.
A hush fell over the room as a teacher reached into the container to draw the winning student’s name. Students were crossing their fingers and praying as the two assistant principals verified the lucky student’s eligibility. With the qualifications met, Heather Walters was announced as the winner.
The gym erupted in cheers as everyone looked around for Walters. It quickly became apparent that she was not present.
Of all the days to miss school, Walters, who is rarely absent, was out the day she won a car. The hard-working SHS senior had no exams on Thursday, June 1, and decided to stay home. Shortly after 1:30 p.m. in the afternoon, she got one of the most exciting phone calls of her young life.
Teacher Meg Johnson called to tell her that she had won the car. Within 10 minutes, Walters was at school and ecstatic about her good fortune.
“Thank you so much. This is such a blessing! I really needed a new car for college,” she told Lee Howell.
Her mother arrived not long afterward, and she came in with tears of joy in her eyes. She told Howell, “I’m so grateful. Her car has been having trouble, and I’ve been praying about it.”
“Your prayers were answered because your daughter earned it for being such a good, hard-working student and meeting all the criteria to win,” Howell said.
Asked why he does this, Howell said, “I hope to incentivize the students to take their education seriously. Maybe a C student is encouraged to become a B student and do better in class. You have to be present and on time. These are habits that will carry over to the workforce.”
According to teachers and administrators, a more deserving student could not have won.
“Heather absolutely deserves this,” Teacher Meg Johnson said. “She is hard-working, compassionate, and has a beautiful personality. This will really be a tremendous help to her and her family. She is the youngest of three raised by a single parent, and she is the 3rd kid mom’s going to put through college.”
Principal Brent Smith agreed.
“She works hard in and out of school.. She’s very deserving,” Smith said.