SGA to hold penny drive in December

The SGA will be holding a penny drive as the featured event in the upcoming Charity Challenge starting Dec. 1, according to Christie Lin, the SGA's director of special projects. The drive will be a competition between the different grade levels to raise the most money for selected charities.

The drive will be set up as a contest between grade levels. Each will have a bin in which students can donate pennies for a single point to add to the grade's score. Other grades can put higher denominations, such as quarters and dollar bills, into opposing class jars to lower their opponent's scores. The class with the most points from the competition, which ends Dec. 22, will be rewarded sometime in January. Lin hopes that the competitive atmosphere will bring in more money. "I foresee people coming in every day and emptying their pocket change into the bins," said Lin. "Though change seems minimal, it will go far."

The "Penny Wars," as described by Lin, is one of many new events the SGA holds to benefit society. "The SGA strives to help the community in various ways," she said. "This is one way where the student government can work with the class councils to benefit regional, national or international causes."

Individual class councils have yet to determine their charity of choice. Each class president will present the selected charities in a school assembly prior to the competition. They will be discussing other opportunities to contribute to the community during the holiday season. Jefferson Teng, treasurer for the Class of 2008, hopes to have a guest speaker from his council's selected charity speak about charity involvement opportunities during the assembly.

The donation bins will likely be placed in the SAC under SGA supervision during both 5A and 5B lunch for the duration of December, Lin said.