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River Heights Elementary to raise 1 million pennies to benefit a third-world school By
Matthew Flitton
Students at River Heights Elementary are trying to raise 1 million pennies to benefit a third-world school. The project began six years ago when David Jorgensen, a 5th-grade teacher at the school, wanted to show his students what a million looked like. "Someone thought of pennies, because we would have something substantial when we got done," he said. The money was originally intended to benefit the school through new computers or some other acquisition, but two things changed that plan. "We had a teacher go into the Peace Corp to Peru," Jorgensen said. "She began writing to us about conditions down there." Vesna Jenkins, the principal at River Heights Elementary, said the other reason for changing plans was the new building they received made faculty and students think about doing the same for others. After the goal is reached, students and faculty will decide on a country to receive the $10,000 gift. "I really look forward to when we acquire all the pennies, and find a country and know that it will create a school for children like themselves," she said. Jorgensen wanted a clear container to hold the pennies so students could see their progress toward the goal. He put 1,000 pennies in a small box and measured the volume and weight of his package. Based on his measurements, the box would have to be 1 cubic yard in volume, and capable of holding 3 tons of pennies. Jorgensen said the strength of the box was a concern. "We were afraid that the box might explode from the weight of the pennies," he said. Jorgensen took the problem to a parent who works at Plastics Resources. Engineers at the company worked on the problem. The resulting box is made of lexan, a plastic used to make cockpits for F-16s. The sides are one inch thick with a steel frame. "Three-eighths inch of lexan will stop a bullet," Jorgensen said. The penny collecting began in 1996, and was to finish in 2002. To make the goal, every student needed to contribute three pennies per day. "We set on 2002 as the coming Olympic year," Jorgensen said. "It seemed real possible." With only one year left in the project, the box is half-full. While Jorgensen still thinks it's possible to reach the goal, the slow progress has been disheartening. "We've got a year to go and we're about halfway there," Jorgensen said. "A high school down in Salt Lake did it in three weeks." Last year the amount of pennies in the box doubled because parents and friends pledged one cent for each page students read. Lisa Shupe, who was on the board for the Parent Teacher Association last year, said the students responded very well. "Some kids brought $35 or $40," she said. Jenkins said the community has been very supportive of the school's efforts as well. "It's fun to see people on the street come in and see it," she said. "They start fishing around in their pockets (for change)."
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