Coin by precious coin, grade school students in western Massachusetts raised more than $1,000 for the victims of last month’s earthquake in Haiti. The two-week effort, officially called Penny Wars by the Lubavitcher Yeshiva Academy in Longmeadow, saw competing classes fill jugs with pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters in an attempt to beat opposing teams according to a complex series of rules.
“It was heartwarming to see even the toddlers bringing in their pennies and distributing them in their jars,” said Julie Betancourt, a teacher at the Chabad-Lubavitch run school.
Each of the elementary school grades, as well as the institution’s preschool and kindergarten, battled to see who could amass the most pennies. Middle school students participated, as well, serving as coaches and scorekeepers.
