DE PERE (NBC 26) — For one eighth grade social studies class at West De Pere middle school, they're learning about finances and the impact they can have on local profit by a simple drop of a penny.
- Video shows students in a West De Pere middle school classroom donating to three area non-profits for Give Big Green Bay.
Boys & Girls Club of Greater Green Bay, Citizen Animal Response Team Auxiliary, Wisconsin Humane Society Green Bay Campus.
- Students explain how much the local impact means to them on the eve of the city's big charitable day.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
At West De Pere Middle School, Michael Lefevre and Erik Hansen's 8th grade social studies class is learning about finances.
"Eric and I have really focused our curriculum and the way we teach about how can we take the lesson and actually apply it to the real world," Lefevre said.
Application leading to impact by way of the penny.
"Even a few pennies makes a difference," Hansen said.
For the 4th year, the class is donating funds as part of Give Big Green Bay
This year, the class chose three organizations:
- Boys & Girls Club of Greater Green Bay
- Citizen Animal Response Team Auxiliary
- Wisconsin Humane Society Green Bay Campus
"It's a big accomplishment to just help our community," Anna Heraly, a West De Pere eighth grader, said.
Heraly was a student behind the push to donate to the Boys & Girls Club.
"I just found that it was really a good way to connect more closer to our younger generations of our community, that could possibly be our future leaders to help our community to grow better," Heraly said.
The rules are simple:
- Students can place a penny or dollar in their class jar to earn points
- Or they can place silver coins in a different class jar to deduct points from them.
Lefevre and Hansen's 4th period class won the battle.
"We're glad we can do this and we want to do this for our community," Greta Wogsland, a West De Pere eighth grader, said.
She said she's proud of her class and the experience of the penny wars.
"I think it's just really cool to see how much a minority of the community can make such a big impact," Wogsland said.
In total, the classes combined to raise $823.34.
"It makes me feel like I am a better person by accomplishing this, even if it's not just me, but our entire school," Heraly said.
"I think the genuine goodness is in the kids and we just have to give them the opportunity to express it," Hansen said.
Hansen and Lefevre said the money the class raised will be delivered by check on Wednesday.
They said they hope the competition inspires these eighth graders to do more charitable work in the future and motivate incoming eighth graders to donate even more pennies each year.
