One of the favorite traditions of Academy students, from pre-kindergarteners to seniors, has returned, but with a new twist this year. For the first time, Academy girls and faculty serving on mission trips this spring changed the traditional “Penny Wars” to “Money Wars.” The school-wide fundraiser benefits the four mission trips: Mississippi, Appalachia, Dominican Republic, and Ruskin.
Instead of collecting only pennies the first week, the missionaries encourage homerooms to bring any type of coin. In the following week, instead of bombing with silver coins and dollars, girls will use only dollar bills to cancel any coins in the money jugs from the prior week.
Ms. Judith Perrella, moderator of the fundraiser and the Ruskin mission trip, says, “We changed it from penny wars to money wars because getting only change doesn’t get us the money we need for the mission trips because we fund all four mission trips off this main fundraiser.”
The proceeds from the fundraiser provide for all the crucial supplies the missionaries will use to further the mission of the school while impacting the lives of the many people involved. These supplies may include paint, tools, brushes, and other pieces of equipment used in the missionaries’ work. The girls themselves are heavily involved in the Money Wars process: they promote the fundraiser within the school and painstakingly count the money received.
In addition to financially benefitting the mission trips, the fundraiser functions as fun competition to encourage the entire school to bring as much money as possible. The elementary school, Pre-K through 4th grade, and the middle school, 5th grade through 8th grade, compete by homerooms. The homeroom that collects the most money in the elementary school and the homeroom that collects the most money in the middle school will receive a mysterious prize. In the high school, however, the competition will be between the classes. So, the each of the homerooms’ profits will be added together as an entire grade to compete. The class with the most money raised will receive a lunch fiesta catered by Moe’s, a high school favorite.
This fun event ends on January 20, so remember to bring in your cash and coins for the Money Wars to help the Mission Trips and win a fiesta for your class!
