Education

High Plain students work for peace, one cent at a time


Published: October 1, 2009

Youngsters at High Plain Elementary have joined hands with tens of thousands of other school children around the world to use education to empower communities in remote areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The High Plain students are joining the Pennies for Peace campaign.

"I believe that this helps teach our children the value of education and helps them feel appreciative towards the education they receive in Andover. All the classes have collection jars and the kids feel good when they contribute," said High Plain Elementary Principal Pam Lathrop.

The goal of Pennies for Peace is to encourage children, who are ultimately our future leaders, to learn the value of philanthropy by collecting pennies for global peace.

How can a penny bring peace? It doesn't buy much in Andover. But in the villages of Pakistan and Afghanistan, it can buy a pencil, start an education, and transform a life. In a region where terrorist organizations recruit uneducated, illiterate children, that pencil can empower a child to read, write and learn.

High Plain Elementary students will have an opportunity to study the cultures of Afghanistan and Pakistan, and come to understand their capacity as philanthropists - one penny at a time.

The Pennies for Peace campaign at the school, lead by the Student Council's Community Service Committee, launched on Sept. 21, International Peace Day, and will run through December. Collection jars are located in the school office and in classrooms.

Children in more than 400 mountain villages in remote northern Pakistan and Afghanistan are on a waiting list, hoping to learn in a new school. The Pennies for Peace campaign is a program of Central Asia Institute, founded by Greg Mortenson, author of "Three Cups of Tea."

Pennies of difference

1 penny = a pencil

2-3 pennies = an eraser

15 pennies = one notebook

$20 = one child's school supplies for one year

$50 = one treadle sewing machine and supplies

$100 = maternal healthcare supplies for one year

$300 = one advanced student's annual scholarship

$600 = one teacher's annual salary

$5,000 = support for existing school for one year

$50,000 = one school building and support for up to five years