AUBURN — Fairview Elementary School students and staff celebrated a surprise announcement Tuesday: their school has won $25,000 from U.S. Cellular.

Fairview gets to decide how to spend the money, which is expected to arrive early next year.

How the money will be spent has not yet been decided, the school principal said Tuesday.

U.S. Cellular has a nationwide program called Calling All Communities. The three-week contest challenges community members to vote online for their school. The schools with the most votes win.

This year, 4,000 schools entered; 20 schools won.

Fairview is not only the first in Maine to win Calling All Communities, it’s the first in New England. “We’re pumped,” said a beaming Auburn store manager Aaron Ouellette.

On Tuesday afternoon students and staff were called to an assembly in the gym. There were balloons and music, hinting something festive was up.

With microphone in hand, Principal Celeste Beaudet reminded students about the three-week campaign in November when students worked to get their parents, uncles, aunts, grandparents to vote online for Fairview.

“Today is the day they tell us if we are a winner,” Beaudet said as U.S. Cellular staff passed out thunder sticks that students immediately started waving.

Students were to watch a video that would list the winners. “Keep your fingers crossed,” Beaudet said.

The video started with music and words saying U.S. Cellular wants to help invest in K-12 education, that schools all over the country rallied teachers, students, parents and neighbors to cast votes.

“The wait is over!” the screen read as a list of winning schools appeared.

The first was from Tennessee, then Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, then Fairview Elementary.

Students and staff erupted with cheers, screams, whistles and applause. They waved their thunder sticks. It was pure happiness.

After a few minutes, Beaudet introduced Ouellette.

“Without his help, without all of your help, none of this would have happened,” she said. “Let’s give him some applause.”

More cheers, screams, whistles, applause and thunder sticks in the air.

Ouellette thanked students, staff and community members for the opportunity to talk to them, “and the opportunity to give you guys $25,000!”

After the assembly, Ouellette said he was “blown away” by the student reaction. “It brought me to tears to see how hard they work every day. It’s amazing.”

Beaudet said she learned late last week her school won, and had to keep it a secret.

“I was shocked, excited. We knew this was a possibility but thought it was a long shot,” she said.

The conversation about how to spend the money will include students, staff and the PTO, she said. “There’s always talk about playground equipment,” she said. “Also upgrading technology, literacy and math materials.” However the money is spent, it will directly benefit students, she said.

During the fall, Ouellette shared information about the contest after teacher Kathy Martin worked with U.S. Cellular on another project.

Fairview asked for votes through social media and sending information home with students. And the school made a savvy move when one day students went home wearing stickers that said: “Ask your parents how they can help us win $25,000.”

That got more attention than a piece of paper at the bottom of a backpack, Beaudet said.

During the contest, Beaudet said she could see online that Fairview was between 15th and 21st place nationally.

“At the end, I did a big push,” Beaudet said. “We reached out to other school staff.”

bwasuk@sunjournal.com