After seeing the havoc Hurricane Sandy wrecked on the East Coast, students at Washington Irving Elementary School, 1125 S. Cuyler, had to act.
“Sandy was such a big storm that the student council just thought we needed to do something about it,” Gabriel Huang, 8, a third grader at the school and a student council member.
Huang, along with council members, came up with a penny competition, a fundraiser to see which class could collect the most pennies. The effort, that ran from Dec. 3-7, raised more than $2,000.
The money will aid Literacy Lifeboats, an initiative to rebuild classrooms and restock them with books in New York elementary schools hit hard by the Oct. 29 storm.
“We all thought that this was really important to do. I think that this will really help people in New York,” said third grader Asher Leveridge, 9, also a student council member, whose uncle lives in New York.
Third grader and council member Brigid Barrette, 9, said the penny competition was a “big hit.” She wanted it to be successful for personal reasons. She has several relatives that live on the East Coast.
“A lot of people were killed by it. People’s houses were wrecked and some of their pets died,” she said. “It was kind of sad.”
Competition was fierce as students tried to best each other to raise the most money. Buckets where placed in each of the school’s 25 classrooms where students deposited the pennies. For each penny donated, classrooms received one point. But for each silver coin or paper bill, classrooms lost points, even though it increased the amount raised. The five-day penny competition raised a total of $2,046.84.
First grader Franklin Peterson, 6, wanted to ensure that everyone came out a winner. He dropped pennies in each classroom’s bucket to help everybody else.
The effort got a boost from an anonymous donor who gave $250. Council leaders wanted to discover the donor’s identity to personally thank the individual.
Principal John Hodge commended the students’ efforts. The money raised by the penny competition surpassed all previous fundraising projects held at the school.
“They are always very supportive of those in need and they are certainly generous and have a kind heart for others,” Hodge said.
Student council advisors Lori Pelling and Joe Gray chose Literacy Lifeboats, an initiative launched by New York-based Teachers College Reading & Writing Project. Pelling said the organization would be a good match for students because it aids schools.
But the fundraiser had a hidden agenda. The idea was to spark friendly competition among students while increasing math skills. The friendly competition, she explained “brought the school together a little bit.”
“It was really cool because it was definitely a competition in a healthy way; the classes were out to get each other, but at the same time, it gave the older kids a chance to take care of the younger kids. It did a lot for team building.”
The classes that collected the most pennies will receive gift certificates to the school’s Spirit Store.
