Back in December, third-grade teacher Nicole Bollerman won $150,000 in a contest and donated all of the money back to her school, UP Academy Dorchester. In response to her generous act, Bollerman was asked to be on The Ellen Degeneres Show where she talked about her donation.

Ellen Degeneres awarded Bollerman and her students at UP Academy Dorchester "700 backpacks, each filled with school supplies and a $100 Target gift card, while each of the 70 teachers will receive $500 gift cards," according to an article on BDCwire.com. 

"Inside a gigantic aquarium full of skittles — one of Bollerman’s preferred treats — was a check for $25,000," the article said. "According to the Ellen Show blog, Bollerman will put the $25,000 towards earning a Master’s in education, as well as upgrading her car."

An article on The Boston Globe said Bollerman "entered the Wish for Others contest just before Thanksgiving, writing in her essay, 'I’m a third-grade teacher in a low-income, high-risk elementary school in Boston, MA. My #wish for others is that my voracious, adorable, hard-working, loving scholars all leave for their December break with a book in their hand.'"

According to the article, "along with the $150,000 grand prize that Bollerman donated to the school, Capital One also sent books to all of her students."

"My kids have overcome some serious adversity,” Bollerman said in the article. “I just really thought I could make a difference in their lives with that money. It’s just a sliver of what those kids deserve.”

The article said that Bollerman also told the Ellen Show blog "that the $150,000 would do more than just benefit the school."

"When we impact the school positively, the community is impacted positively,” she said. “I know the school and the community are both going to benefit.”

Here's the video of Bollerman's interview with Ellen:

Read the full story and comment below. 

Article by Kassondra Granata, Education World Contributor