Some young Slidell schoolchildren are hoping the pennies they pick up will bring more than good luck to students in the far corners of the world.

The students, members of Keri Cognevich’s gifted SPARK classes at Bonne Ecole Elementary School, are participating in the Pennies for Peace program. Sponsored by the Central Asia Institute, the program aims to bring hope and educational opportunities to children in the remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

At the heart of the program is the idea that while a penny in the U.S. is almost worthless, it can do much more in struggling countries.

Bonne Ecole teacher Keri Cognevich and her third-grade class are pictured with their jars of pennies and a chart showing how much rice they have earned for children in remote regions of the world. First row, from left: Rachel Early, Michael Solet, Emily Purser, Benjamin Swalm and Jakob Eure. Second row: Cognevich, Cole Vallelungo, Bernel Davis, Jonathan Route, Reilly Helber and Kaley Pichon. (Staff Photo by Anne Lautzenheiser)

“A pencil only costs a penny in Afghanistan,” said third-grader Reilly Helber. “A teacher is $1 a day, and that’s a lot for the people who live there.”

The class was inspired to participate after Helber’s mom read the book, “Three Cups of Tea,” by Pennies for Peace founder Greg Mortenson.

She shared the book with her son, who then brought it to his classmates.

The book chronicles how Mortenson attempted to climb Pakistan’s K2, the world’s second highest mountain. Along the way he got lost, and found shelter in a small village. The villagers nursed him back to health, serving him several cups of tea with sugar, which he didn’t realize was a scarce commodity.

He later found the village was so poor it couldn’t afford to hire a regular teacher, and the children were forced to dig in the dirt with sticks for their lessons.

Mortenson vowed to build them a school, and Pennies for Peace was born.

Since then, 78 schools have been built, serving more than 28,000 children. Cognevich’s class joined the program in January, and has collected over $200 towards their goal of $700.

“The students are so generous, and will put in $2, $5, even more,” said Cognevich. “Some of the kids will run in here saying, ‘I found a penny on the playground, let’s put it in the jar’.”

Pennies aren’t the only thing the students are collecting. Since the beginning of the school year, they have visited the Web site, FreeRice.com almost daily, where they use their vocabulary and math skills to help provide rice for impoverished nations. Started in 2007, the program donates 10 grains of rice for every correct answer to questions on a variety of subjects. Participants can choose their skill level, from 1 as the easiest to 60 as the most difficult.

The students have already made their goal of 19,200 grains, or enough to feed one person for a whole day, and are now working on a goal of 38,400 grains, to feed two people. They are in the process of creating posters to distribute throughout the school, to encourage their classmates to participate in both programs.

“The kids in these countries just don’t have a lot,” said Bernel Davis, also in the third grade. “We want to help them.”

Pennies are being collected through March 27. Anyone wishing to donate may go to www.beepta.org for more information.