Novi Principal Addresses Rumors That Teachers Won the $1B Jackpot

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A Novi elementary school principal is addressing rumors that his teaching staff won the $1 billion Mega Millions jackpot.

Although the lucky winning ticket was sold at a Kroger store just minutes from Novi Woods Elementary School, Principal David Ascher has squashed rumors that he and his teaching staff had purchased the winning ticket.

However, his blog post titled "I Won the Lottery" may have added to the confusion.

Ascher penned the blog, referring to the many blessing he is thankful for in his life.

“It’s true. It’s me. I won the lottery. No ... not that lottery. I won the real lottery. In fact, I’ve won multiple times ..." the piece starts. "My faith has helped me put all of the many blessing in perspective. I am still on a long journey, but each step has helped me become a better person with a better outlook for life and love for all."

The principal shares how thankful he is for his wife and daughters and offers gratitude to the teachers and staff at his school.

But how did the rumor get started that his staff had won the Mega Millions jackpot? Ascher isn't sure, but he thinks it all may have stemmed from a picture of himself playing a guitar that was captioned "If I had a Billion Dollars," a play on words that refers to a similarly titled song by the Barenaked Ladies.

Ascher tells WDIV that rumors of his staff's good fortune spread like wildfire. Shortly after news broke on Saturday (1/23) that the winning ticket had been sold in Novi, he started receiving calls, texts, and emails -- so many that he quickly lost track.

But, after a whirlwind weekend, Asher was relieved to get back to work on Monday. Although no one at the school won a huge jackpot, he did spring for donuts for the staff.