Jacks Valley students raise big bucks in Pennies for Peace drive

Over the last five months, students and faculty members at Jacks Valley Elementary School have raised $1,705.46 as part of their Pennies for Peace campaign.

"I ended up taking over 1,500 pounds of pennies to U.S. Bank in Gardnerville, who graciously donated their time to count the pennies for us," said kindergarten teacher Laura Williams. "We collected $1,705.46 in pennies, which will help buy supplies and fund education for Afghan students, provide scholarships, pay teachers, and maintain schools and buildings."

Williams and second-grade teacher Tracie Moultrup started the campaign 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 Pennies for Peace, which is an 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.

In a previous interview, 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.

Williams said she was overwhelmed by the amount of support her school received during the drive.

"We were shocked at the support of the community and our staff, parents and teachers," she said.

Williams hopes that Jacks Valley's success will inspire other schools to join the campaign.

"We would love other schools in our district to become involved in this campaign, maybe starting one at their own site," she said.

Williams can be reached at lwilliam@dcsd.k12.nv.us. For more information about Pennies for Peace, visit www.penniesforpeace.org.