A penny primary project held Tuesday – New Hampshire’s primary voting day – was an unusual feature in an otherwise normal day at Merrimack High School. The project entailed contributions of pennies placed by students into containers representing some top contenders for president of the United States.

Pennies collected during school lunch hours were counted and the candidates who won the penny primary were announced. Ron Paul came in first. Mitt Romney placed second. Rick Santorum took third place. Other contenders were Jon Huntsman, Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry, and, on the Democratic side, President Barack Obama.

The project was sponsored by teacher Jim Wojewoda’s American politics class, and sophomores, juniors and seniors participated. They first delved into published reports and other literature to find out facts about each candidate. They researched the candidates’ views on various issues. Discussions among students were plentiful in the days preceding the penny primary.

The project was a part of activities hosted by Challenge Day Initiative – an organization that shares through workshops, speaking engagements and other events, the promotion of a positive school climate.

Linda Mandra, who works as a gifted and talented specialist for the school’s Gateway Program, said the day’s success was attributable to the joint efforts of the social studies department, the Gateway Program, the Challenge Day Initiative, the staff and the students.

“Who could have believed that such a fun event would go so far toward raising awareness of the importance of voting,” Mandra said. “The more knowledge you have of your government, the better a citizen you will be.”

Wojewoda concurred. He added that the concept of change is one that can be expressed in many ways.

“We tied this event in with the primary because of the concept of change,” Wojewoda said. “We know that voting is a vehicle of change. We even gave voting locations and information on how to vote to students who are age 18.”

The students behind the penny primary put together a placard with candidates’ names and set out plastic containers into which the students placed their pennies. The collected coins will be used as funds to support ongoing visits from Challenge Day Initiative’s speakers and presentations of other programs.

The penny primary was offered to students during lunch periods in the cafeteria. The organizers constructed a voting machine that could be wheeled around to the cafeteria’s tables. Volunteers who helped with the project wore red, white and blue hats and garland necklaces.

Reactions to the penny primary were overwhelmingly positive.

“Students not only care about voting but also about supporting programs like Challenge Day,” Arturo Costa, a senior, said.

Later, Family and Consumer Science Teacher Carol Quinn added, “It’s great to see democracy in action and how excited the kids are about the election.”

A Democratic penny primary gave the election to Obama, despite the presence of some pennies in a container marked, “Other.”