The Value of a Penny

As part of Pueblo County High School’s Make-a-Wish Week, students and teachers participate in Penny Stalls. On this special day, PCHS students collect spare change and dump it on their 3rd-hour teacher’s desk. The teachers are not allowed to start class until all the change has been counted. The change that the teachers count is collected by PCHS DECA and donated to the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

PCHS students enjoy Penny Stalls no matter what, but it is always more fun when everyone participates. Several students in the PCHS journalism class expressed their disappointment that their teacher did not participate.

The point of Penny Wars is to encourage students to bring in donations and support others. By not following the rules, teachers could discourage students from participating. This will have a negative impact on the donations raised for Make-a-Wish, the students’ relationship with their teachers, and the enthusiasm of students to participate in future activities.

Perhaps, simply taking 55 minutes to count pennies for charity will help not only the Wish kid but also inspire student participation.

Hopefully next year, teachers will realize the importance of participating in school-wide events
and the impact that their actions have on the students.

​Thank you to everyone who participated. We also heard the fun stories and feedback students gave on the classes that did participate!