Friday, 03 June 2011 08:21

Magdalen Catholic School students raised more than $3,400 in a “penny wars” competition to support the parish’s upcoming capital campaign.
“Our students like a challenge – and their teachers challenged them to support their parish, which has done so much to provide them with a quality Catholic education,” said Janice Palmer, principal.
The week-long competition, which started May 16, included an overall goal of raising $2,011 for the capital campaign, which is earmarked for parish debt reduction and campus improvement projects. In addition, students competed by grade to see which class could raise the most money and earn a pizza party.
The overall goal was reached, which earned the students a dress-down day near the end of the school term. Capris and flip flops for the girls, and long shorts for the boys. Hats were OK, too, but only after Mass.

The classroom competition included a twist to the typical penny drive. In addition to bringing pennies to increase their grade’s total, students could put silver coins in another grade’s jars, which subtracted from its total. The strategy behind the competition was to earmark silver coins for grades that were bringing in large numbers of pennies.
Second-grade students placed first, with a positive total of $88.28, followed by the pre-kindergarten class with $23.65. The last-place grade had a net value of -$214.89.
Teachers used the competition as a teaching moment, Palmer said. They talked about how giving must come from the heart and about the costs a parish incurs so its children can receive a Catholic education.
“While our students got caught up in the competition, they learned about the importance of giving,” Palmer said.
In addition, a penny drive conducted by PSR students and their catechists in early May resulted in a $444.02 donation to the capital campaign.
Catechists used the drive to share a message of stewardship and told the Bible story of the widow’s mite as an example of selfless giving.
“Our PSR students were excited about the drive,” said Sister Connie Beiriger, pastoral associate. “They were glad to do their part to help their parish.”