'Money Wars' at Ruth McGregor Elementary School generates funds for playground upgrades

SAND CREEK — “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

Mahatma Gandhi is often credited with this well-known quote, and over the past week of school, the saying was recited at the conclusion of the school day by students in Caitlyn Hella’s fourth grade classroom at Sand Creek's Ruth McGregor Elementary School, who quite literally worked daily with the currency form of change.

As part of a community service project based around the district’s social and emotional learning curriculum, students enrolled in Hella’s class drummed up some friendly competition between all classes in the elementary school by conducting a Money Wars fundraiser, which lasted the entire week. The overall goal of the project was to generate funds for playground upgrades and new equipment at the elementary school playground. A goal to raise $500 was set, but the entire elementary school went above and beyond that mark.

By the end of the school day Friday, it was announced that within five school days the entire elementary school generated $3,462.67 during the Money Wars event. A total of 17 classrooms participated. 

“What started out as just a fun, little idea, has turned into one of the best fundraisers our school has ever seen,” fifth grade teacher Lisa Miller said in an email.

The first day of Money Wars raised almost $250, which was just about halfway to the original target goal of $500. Donations by the second day totaled more than $1,000.

Preschool through fifth grade students went through the hallways each morning and “sabotaged” other classrooms’ funds by dropping coins into their collection can. As part of Money Wars, coins are considered negative, whereas bills of any increment — $1, $5, $10, $20, $100 — are positive, and each classroom was encouraged to add bills daily to its own collection of money. By the end of the week, no matter what form of currency was collected or considered a sabotage, all the money will be put to good use in upgrading the elementary’s playground, something that is expected to take place over the summer months so that the enhancements will be in place for the start of the 2022-23 school year. 

Fourth graders were also able to hone and work on their math skills by counting up each day’s worth of money collected. Several ideas for the service learning project were brainstormed by the students in Hella’s classroom, but the class thought a more lasting impact could be made out at the playground.

“We felt like we wanted more things on the playground. We had a slide that was broken and we wanted to be able to fix that,” Hella said. “So we knew we needed to fundraise money. And we came up with this idea of Money Wars.”

To integrate the project across the entire elementary school, Hella’s fourth graders constructed posters advertising what the Money Wars were, and some classes worked together and made commercials talking about the program and what it was aiming to accomplish.

Students often spent two to three hours each day counting bills and coins, doing math on whiteboards and double-checking other students’ math. Some students even opted to skip recess to remain in the classroom and count money, Hella said.

“I am beyond proud of them for being leaders in the school,” she said, “because it has been a huge undertaking for them to count money. I’m very proud of them. These guys did a big thing that the school will remember forever."

Jenna Francoeur’s class raised the most money throughout the week and was the winning classroom, earning the first-place prize of an ice cream party. The class with the second-most money was Miller’s fifth grade class, and third went to Kathie Norton’s class. 

Not only are there the bragging rights of being among the top three of the entire school in terms of the most money raised, but the first-, second- and third-place classrooms will get an advantage in the schoolwide vote this week on what the money should be used for at the playground. When voting, Francoeur’s students'  votes will be worth four points each. The votes from Miller’s class will be worth three points and Norton’s class votes will be worth two votes. All other student votes cast this week on what playground equipment should be purchased will be worth one point.

Students have expressed interest in a GaGa ball pit being constructed at the playground, a firetruck/firehouse play set, a zip line and an additional rock wall along with some other suggestions. The finalization of what playground equipment will be voted on is expected to take place Tuesday or Wednesday with the voting commencing on Thursday. 

“Kids are going to remember this, that you did this,” Hella said to her class Friday. “And then when you get to be seniors, and you get to help with the (elementary school’s) field day one day, you’re going to be like, ‘Did you guys like that thing on the playground?’ And you’ll be like, ‘Because we raised the money for that.’”