Students hold penny war to aid tsunami victims

Chaffee Elementary students held a penny war last month in response to the tsunami that took tens of thousands of lives with little or no warning throughout South Asia and coastal regions as far away as East Africa.

In a typical penny war, students are encouraged to collect pennies in containers located in their own classrooms and to put nickels, dimes, quarters and paper money into the containers of other classrooms. The goal is to collect the most pennies. The value of any silver coins or paper money is deducted from each homeroom container's total pennies.

Students' fund-raising efforts resulted in a collection of $1,540.66 to assist the Red Cross relief efforts. That amount in pennies would weigh at least 851 pounds. The third grade was the winning class in the upper hall, with the kindergarten class as winners in the lower hall. Principal Michelle Willams planned a special ice cream treat for the students for working so hard.

Area businesses including Beck's Body Shop, Powers & Rains Construction, Break Time, Whitaker Hardware, First Commercial Bank and Martin Sales matched a percentage of the total raised. Schaefer Water Care donated water jugs to hold the money collected and Bank of America in Jackson helped count the coins.