EDUCATION MAKES
CENTS
The Million Penny Challenge is a fund raising activity
of the
Lawrence Township Education Foundation of New Jersey
For Immediate
Release
Contact: Kirk LeCompte, 609.620.0127
Lawrenceville, NJ - APRIL 9,
2002
Education
Foundation Launches Million Penny Challenge
 Bill Nester, LTEF Trustee, points the way to our goal for the Million Penny Challenge. |
Lawrence Township Education Foundation (LTEF) today challenged students, teachers and the community to collect a million pennies to finance creative teacher and student initiated projects in the classroom. The LTEF Million Penny Challenge commemorates LTEF's double milestone of serving the community for 10 years and surpassing a million dollars in educational grants in that time.
Dozens of LTEF volunteers, headed by LTEF Trustee Betsy Kreger, have been organizing for weeks both a school and community drive not only to collect pennies but also to educate the public about all aspects of the penny.
Students at the Lawrence Intermediate School, the site of today's announcement, reported an astonishing grasp of the math, art, history, science, and fun that surrounds the penny. "Did you know that a million pennies stacked end-to-end would cover a mile," asked one student. Others read their own penny poetry or explained the penny trivia games they had created.
 Students at Lawrence Intermediate School presented the penny theme games they invented and the penny research they had done at the Million Penny Challenge launch event. |
"The penny can be a powerfully creative tool for implementing the curriculum," according to Kirk LeCompte, a Trustee of the Education Foundation. Kirk encourages everyone to visit the newly launched web site www.MillionPenny.org where visitors can explore the history and future of the penny as well as engage in online activities such as the MegaPenny Project where you can find out how many pennies it takes to fill up the Empire State Building.
Potential donors will spot penny collection cans all over town in classrooms and local businesses. Fleet Bank, chief depository for Challenge funds, is encouraging donors to walk in with any amount of coins, wrapped or unwrapped, and will even award prizes to children who bring in 500 pennies or more. "We think it's a over a hundred dollars worth," estimated 5 year old twins Katie and Maria McDonough, as they donated the first official deposit of coins at Fleet Bank.
"We can't thank LTEF enough for believing in the ideas of teachers and students, " said Mary Jo Candaletti after reviewing the LTEF-funded aquatic environment initiative that teaches her special need students the real-life skills required to plan and execute a major community project.
"So many outstanding achievements would not have been possible without the LTEF," declared Rebecca Gold, Director of Technology for the public schools. "LTEF has had uncommon vision when it comes to supporting technology in education," as she cited LTEF's critical support of Cable Channel 19 ten years ago as well as its funding of the public school's first access to the Internet.
LTEF grants, totaling over a 100 million pennies since 1992, are selectively awarded, after an extensive review process, to fund excellence, creativity and achievement in our schools that is beyond the reach of the school budget in any given year.
The bulk of LTEF funds are donated by two major sources, Educational Testing Service and The Lawrenceville School. "We are proud to have supported the LTEF since its founding in order to give teachers the opportunity to do something special to enhance our children's education," said Laurie Russell, Director of Community Services at ETS. "LTEF projects mean everything to these children," added Michael Cary, Head Master of The Lawrenceville School.
"What's even more important than the dollars raised is the image of caring adults surrounding and supporting our schools," concluded Superintendent Max Riley. "The LTEF is compelling evidence of what a great place Lawrence Township is to live."
The volunteer-driven Lawrence Township Education Foundation is a nonprofit organization that fosters excellence, creativity and achievement in the in the Lawrence Township Public Schools. For more information contact Diane Senerth, Executive Director at info@ltefnj.org or 609.219.0340.
