Letter to the Editor: School Suspends “Pennies for Peace” Efforts

Dear students, families, Orcas Island Business Owners, and Community Members;

In recent days the validity of author Greg Mortenson’s book Three Cups of Tea and the spending practices of the Pennies for Peace program have been questioned on the television show 60 Minutes. As part of our Project Based Learning class this year, the 4^th/5^th grade class at Orcas Elementary challenged itself to find a way to “change the world”. Mr. Mortenson’s program seemed to fit these goals. The Pennies for Peace program was started to help fund the construction of schools in Afghanistan and began in response to the book written by Mr. Mortenson. Schools and fundraising groups across the world have participated in this program and our students were excited to take part.

In light of the recent accusations against the program and concerns about the validity of the stories within Three Cups of Tea we have decided to suspend the fund-raising campaign and to investigate the claims made against the program. We know that there are numerous other organizations in the world that are working to make a difference and promise to make sure that every penny donated will be used to support our mission of “changing the world”. We want to thank the community for the generous support you have shown for this project and ensure you that we will make sure that your donations are used wisely. Following Spring Break our class will be using this story as a learning experience and will begin to examine other possible uses for these funds.

If you are a business owner who has supported us by placing a Penny Jar on your counter please accept our thanks for your support. Please remove your penny jar from your counter and we will pick it up. For all who dropped your spare change into the jars thank you for your support. To all who attended fund-raising events and made personal donations we also thank you; and we know that you all share our disappointment in this turn of events.

Kyle Freeman
K-8 Principal, Orcas Island School District