Imagine your teacher offering a crisp $100 bill to anyone who can ace a notoriously brutal final exam—and then keeping that bet open for 25 years. That’s exactly what Anthony Simonelli, a teacher at Baldwin High School, has been doing for a quarter of a century. And finally, after all those years, he’s officially had to pay up.

The perfect score

Jojo Yawson, who was a sophomore at the time, decided to take on the challenge. The Chemistry Regents exam is lowkey infamous for being one of the hardest tests in New York State, so it wasn't exactly a walk in the park. Yawson admitted he wasn't even feeling the vibes after he finished, thinking he’d definitely messed up a few questions.

"I went home dejected," Yawson said. "I thought I missed at least a few questions."

But when the grades dropped in June, his score came back as a perfect 100. Simonelli, true to his word, showed up at Yawson’s front door to hand-deliver the cash, which he’d personally signed and engraved with a "Thank you."

Real talk on the reward

Yawson kept it 100 about his motivation for the test, telling the Long Island Herald: "Of course, it’s about the money. Getting a perfect score — if they gave me $100 for getting a 50, I would have got a 50. It’s about the money."

His mom, Ama Karikari, shared that her son overcame learning accommodations to pull off this feat. She hopes his story serves as a reminder that having a learning difference doesn't stop anyone from achieving excellence. This isn't even Yawson's first time at the rodeo; he managed to ace his Biology Regents during his freshman year too.

Why it matters

This might be the last time anyone ever wins Simonelli's challenge. New York is currently redesigning its science curriculum to match new state standards, and the classic Regents exams are being phased out entirely by 2028.

The shift has sparked some major drama. The state’s move to dump these graduation requirements has been met with heavy side-eye from critics, including former Governor George Pataki, who called the decision to scrap the tests "incredibly stupid" and a way to hide failing performance levels in schools. For now, though, Yawson is just enjoying his well-deserved win.