Pennies bring hope: Jacks Valley students gather pennies for foreign schools

The idea that every penny counts was exemplified on Thursday at Jacks Valley Elementary School when 5-year-old Ethan Schutten placed a lone penny he had found in his backpack into a plastic container in his classroom as part of the school's Pennies for Peace drive.

"I want to," Ethan said when asked by his kindergarten teacher Laura Williams why he was giving up his own penny.

Williams and second-grade teacher Tracie Moultrup started the drive after reading the book "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.

Mortenson is a mountain climber who started a school-building mission in Afghanistan and Pakistan. He co-founded the Central Asia Institute that now oversees the Pennies for Peace campaign, the international effort to convert what is often considered useless change in first-world countries into revenue for schools in developing Afghanistan and Pakistan.

One of the main objectives of the campaign is to thwart the rise of terrorism in that region by providing residents with more alternatives through the power of education.

Moultrup said one cent in the U.S. can buy a pencil in Afghanistan. She said $600 can fund a teacher's annual salary.

"Every penny counts," she said. "A penny scummy with soap beneath the washing machine. Or kids finding them in the parking lot. We are hoping the students become little philanthropists."

Williams is encouraging students to find the pennies on their own.

"The goal is not to have parents giving them money, but for the students to realize they have the power to make a difference," she said. "They can find pennies anywhere."

To track their efforts, students are storing the coins in plastic water bottles. When full, each bottle equals approximately $7.50. As of Thursday, Williams' class had filled nine bottles, Moultrup's class had filled eight, and the entire school had raised about $450.

"Everybody is participating, from the front office to the school computer lab," said Moultrup. "The school is really focusing on global education. Every class has been assigned a different country and a different flag and students are giving presentations on the countries. This (the penny drive) is another way to teach the curriculum using a global perspective."

Second-grader Raeann Armstrong said she's trying to help kids her own age.

"We don't need the pennies," she said. "Other people do."

Fifth-grader Samantha Crawford agreed.

"They don't have the education we have here," she said. "I've been finding pennies at home and asking people for extra pennies " because we're helping people in other countries have schools."

Jacks Valley's Peace for Pennies drive will continue until April 3. For more information, visit penniesforpeace.org. Donations of other amounts can be made at www.ikat.org.