Students’ penny drive to help New York City relief effort

By: Nick D’Amore
   Crossroads School students are doing their part to help the disaster relief efforts in New York City with an innovative fund-raiser that is both educational and fun.
   Principal James Warfel organized a penny drive, dubbed the Penny Challenge, but it has a twist.
   The goal is to be the team with the most pennies, however, teams can sabotage each other by putting larger coins and dollar bills in opposing teams’ jars.
   "You get positive points for every penny and negative points for anything larger," said Mr. Warfel.
   So by strategizing and scheming to win the pizza party prize, students are also giving more money to the relief effort when they drop silver coins and bills into their opponents’ jars.
   Staci Ellison, a teacher’s aide, said the game’s fundamental purpose to help the disaster victims has not been lost on the kids.
   "I overheard a girl saying to her friend, ‘I wouldn’t use a $20 bill’ and her friend said, ‘Well, then you’re just being selfish.’ I thought that was great," Ms. Ellison said.
   The 10 teams, based on class units, are named by letters of the Greek alphabet.
   The Alpha team appeared to be losing — or winning depending on whom you ask — after they had to replace their original jar because the custodial staff said it was too heavy with coins. The jar contained a myriad of pennies, but there were $10 and $20 bills in there too.
   One boy who noticed the large bills told Mr. Warfel the Alpha team was losing, but Mr. Warfel wasn’t convinced and pointed out the large amount of pennies that had filled more than half the jar.
   The suspense won’t end until after Friday when the money is counted.
   "There’s a spirit of friendly competition and strategy," Mr. Warfel said. "Also, they’re working with positive and negative numbers, which they’re also learning in their math classes."
   Some kids bring little bags of pennies that they carefully pour inside their team’s jar.
   Seventh-grader Ryan Spriggs explained the rules of the game and the strategy of covering up the jar’s opening so no one could put dollars in.
   Soon after, one boy tries to block the opening of his jar as a friend of his from another unit tries to drop in some silver change. Eventually, he relents and a tinge of silver sparkles among the jar’s copper coins.
   Mike Monteith, an eighth-grader, estimated he had put in about $50 in pennies into his team’s jar.
   "The Alphas are going to lose," he said excitedly.
   Mr. Warfel said the kids were allowed to choose which charity to give the money to and decided to send the money to a to be determined relief agency in New York.
   Once the fund-raiser ends Friday, school staff and 40 student volunteers will begin the long process of counting the pennies, along with the other coins and bills in the 10 jars.
   Mr. Warfel said he believes many kids might be waiting to make their donations on that last day. He looks on proudly as the kids just entering their afternoon lunch period clamor around the jars to see their progress.
   "Friday will be interesting," he said.