Williamstown Elementary School employees Bernadette Archibald, right, and Dolores Burns pose with Price Chopper chef John Winnek.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Ordinarily, it would have take Williamstown Elementary School some 200 years to accomplish what Bernadette Archibald did in just three.

 

Archibald recently won one million Tools for Schools points from Price Chopper when her recipe for Southwest Chicken Tortilla Soup was judged the best from among 80 dishes submitted to the supermarket's contest.

 

The Tools for Schools program allows shoppers to accumulate rewards points to benefit the school of their choice. The points can be redeemed for school equipment. Last year, the school accumulated about 5,000 points.

 

Archibald's winning recipe means that Williamstown will be able to acquire 16 new iPads and 30 sets of high-quality headphones for use either with the tablets or other computer equipment at the school, according to Principal Joelle Brookner.

 

"When they told us we'd won, I couldn't even process it," Brookner said last week.

 

Earlier this month, Archibald, an administrative secretary to the district's director of pupil personnel services, and Brookner's administrative assistant, Dolores Burns, traveled to Price Chopper's flagship store in Latham, N.Y., for an award presentation.

 

Archibald, an avid cook, said she has been tinkering with this particular recipe for about three years.

 

"It's just something I make up," she said. "I make it different each time. But when I submitted it [to the contest], I said, ‘OK, this is it.'

 

"I like it real spicy, so I made it mild when I submitted it."

 

She gave a copy of the recipe to the school's cafeteria staff, which may produce an even milder version for the children. And the official recipe will be featured in an upcoming Price Chopper flier and, perhaps, sold at the Latham store.

 

Archibald said the chain's chef instructor praised the recipe for its taste and the relatively short prep time.

 

"He tested all [the finalists] on his family, and he has a couple of teenage boys, and he said they loved this recipe," Burns said.

 

"I think what helped it win was it's easy and quick to make and very tasty," Archibald said. "Some of the other recipes might have been more time consuming but also delicious."

 

Brookner said the Price Chopper prize came fast on the heels of another windfall for the school: the anonymous donation of $10,000 from the winner of a contest sponsored by Stop & Shop. That money will benefit the school through its Parent Teacher Organization; Brookner said she is eyeing some cement chess tables for the playground.

 

"We had one out there that was a huge hit, but it was fiberglass and completely fell apart," she said. "But the kids just loved it."

 

Brookner expects to be able to order the iPads in the spring, after the regular July-March Tools for Schools promotion period ends. The new tablets — enough for a complete classroom set — should be at the school in time for the 2015-16 school year.

 

Bookkeeper Anne Donati was responsible for learning about the contest and steering it toward Archibald.

 

"When I got the email [from Price Chopper], I saw that you get 5,000 [Tools for Schools] points just for entering, and I said even if we just enter, we'll double our points from last year," Donati said.

 

"I'm so glad I did not delete that email."