A student’s enthusiasm led to the adoption of Pennies for Peace by Barb Brook’s class at North Bay Elementary School in Oregon. Barb had heard about Pennies for Peace, but wasn’t sure if it would work for her students. “I asked a student who was kind of bored, ‘Hey, what do you think about doing this?’ She took one look at it and, she was so excited. The next thing I knew, she had already started making posters. She’s the one who whipped up the excitement among the kids in class to get it going. And I said, yeah, “Yeah, I’m taking this and running with it.”

When are we going to do Pennies for Peace?

Three years later, North Bay is a winner of the 2018 Peace Leader award, and the enthusiasm has continued. “It’s become a tradition. When fifth-grade kids come into my classroom at the beginning of the year, one of the questions I always get is, ‘Are we going to do Pennies for Peace?’ And then throughout the year, ‘When are we going to do Pennies for Peace?’”

Students in Barb’s class write and present a speech on what Pennies for Peace is and what it means to them. Then, they can volunteer to present their speech about Pennies for Peace to other classrooms in the school to share what they’ve learned and to get other students involved.

Across North Bay Elementary, you’ll see Barb’s students telling other classes about Pennies for Peace and putting up posters about the power of a penny. Barb is proud of their passion for helping others: “Giving a speech is terrifying for fifth-graders, but when doing Pennies for Peace, something like 75 percent of them sign up! And they plaster the school with posters.”

Pennies for Peace can work anywhere

North Bay provides an example that Pennies for Peace can work anywhere. Students in Barb’s class love to share the message that they can help students who don’t have school supplies or can’t go to class like they do. “In our school, we have a pretty high poverty rate so Pennies for Peace gives students an opportunity to step out and do something for somebody who has even less than they do,” Barb says.

The enthusiasm of students for Pennies for Peace is what drives Barb’s campaigns: “It’s exciting to work with them – they are excited by it,” she says. Congratulations, Barb Brooks and North Bay Elementary for being a 2018 Peace Leader!