All those pennies can really add up

Alpine Elementary students compete while raising funds

Last names of students and teachers, administrative staff and names of programs have been omitted. An eighth-grader, student body president at Alpine Elementary, empties some of the proceeds of a Penny War at the school to be counted. The Alpine PTO raised $4,083.54 during the fundraising event.

LITTLEROCK — Following a ferocious financial feud between classes, the Alpine Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization collected 35,577 pennies, a Chuck E. Cheese token and a lock washer for student activities in a weeklong Penny Wars fundraiser.

After painstakingly counting thousands of pennies along with additional change and bills, organization members had totaled up $4,083.54 by April 8, not including Canadian coinage, Mexican pesos and an Ultramar laser tag token.

“Clearly students gave it their all … and a little bit more … it was fun,” said a seventh-grade math teacher who brought the fundraiser to Alpine.

In addition to gathering money for future field trips, students had a chance to work on their math skills. Pennies and bills counted positively for a classroom, while silver coinage counted against the total as negatives. A pizza party for the top three classrooms motivated students.

For 10 minutes each morning during the week following St. Patrick’s Day, students were allowed to undermine competitors’ advances by putting silver coins into buckets. A fiscal fracas ensued, with preschool through eighth-grade students darting from classroom to classroom with quarters, dimes and nickels.

Desperate to keep his class in the running, a 6-foot-tall teacher held his bucket of change high above his head, as hobbit-sized pupils rushed up the ramp to his classroom, determined to strike a mortal monetary blow.

“That’s not fair,” the students yelled.

Eventually the teacher relented, allowing the children to pour silver coins into his bucket.

fibber

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom zoom

orterix

zoom