Pennies For Peace

Shiny, small, flat and round,
There it lies upon the ground.
Tiny and small, not worth much,
Still I gently pick it up.
By itself this penny is just one cent,
In the minds of many that's not much spent,
But a million together is worth a lot,
Which supplies a very nice thought.
Alone we are very small,
And not worth much at all,
But altogether you will see,
How big we all can be!

        In September 1999, Chugach Optional began a drive to collect one million pennies as part of the "Pennies for Peace" project. The idea came from the "How Much is a Million" program of Anchorage Municipal Libraries, based on the book by the same title by author, David Schwartz. Our school librarian, Alice, was intrigued with the idea of the school making a collection of something so that the students would have more of a sense of how large a million is. To give more meaning to the project, it was decided that pennies would be the items to collect, because then the collection could then be used for the greater good. The recipients of the final collection would be peace-related charities selected by the students.
        Thus, "Penny Central" was created with the arrival of 5- and 10-gallon aquariums and a collection of tennis ball containers.
        During the three and one-half years it took to collect the million pennies, there were many events to drum up enthusiasm and support of the project:

Students marched in two Fur Rondy parades carrying the "Pennies for Peace" banner and collecting pennies from parade spectators.
Penny collection canisters were distributed throughout the Anchorage Community.
Parent Barry Steinkruger organized "Popcorn Friday" when students could buy a bag of popcorn for one roll of pennies (50 cents).

On May 1, 2002, the school celebrated "One Million in May Day", a potluck celebration commemorating the collection of one million pennies. After researching, the decision was made to donate the pennies to four organizations: Save the Children, Kid's Kitchen, Alaska Center for Families, and AWAIC (Abused Women's Aid in Crisis).