Seventh-grader Claire Murphy-Beach was a little shocked Thursday when Hy-Vee store director John Olson burst into her English class and handed her a $7,500 check for her school, Central Junior High.

Claire’s mother, Nora Murphy, had entered her into a drawing at Hy-Vee, and Olson selected her name from a box of many in the Lawrence area.

Because she won the drawing, the store will donate $7,500 to Central Junior High, for Hy-Vee’s 75th anniversary.

The promotion in Lawrence was part of the store’s “Smiles for Education.” It will give $7,500 to 10 schools in seven states, Olson said.

“Hy-Vee’s culture has been always to give back to communities we operate in,” he said.

As the winner of the drawing, Claire also received an iPod. Her classmates let out cries of “Oooh” and “Aaah” as they glimpsed her prize.

“My mom did it. I didn’t even know about it,” she said to classmates.

The school’s principal, Frank Harwood, said winning the drawing added to Central’s already successful fundraising efforts. Students recently collected about $18,600 as part of a “Fun Run,” he said.

“In that case our students worked really hard,” Harwood said. “In the drawing, we got really lucky because Claire’s name was picked.”

The $7,500 check will help free up funding to pay for student activities and other things, Harwood said.

Because Nora Murphy, Claire’s mother, has worked on landscaping for the school, some of the new money can also help pay for landscaping projects, he said.

“This donation is the kind of thing that helps us tremendously,” Harwood said.