National Honor Society (NHS) has encountered some unexpected good fortune and it has to do with some lucky pennies.

After hosting the Penny Delay on Feb. 2 and 3, NHS raised a whopping $2,320.13 for Project Peanut Butter, an organization that provides food to malnourished people in impoverished countries.

For every cent a student brought in to their classes, they would get a second of class time delayed for up to 30 minutes.

“Who doesn’t want to just sit there and relax and not focus on school for a little bit?” Penny Delay committee chair Kait Bonsignore (12) said.

But despite the strong incentive, Bonsignore was not expecting this much money to be raised.

“I was hoping it would be successful but I never would have expected it to be so successful,” Bonsignore said. “It was something really new.”

NHS got the idea for the Penny Delay from last year’s officers after they went to a leadership conference in Chicago. The idea then got passed on to this year’s members who had to formulate a plan and execute it on their own.

Part of the plan involved advertising, especially through social media. Several committee members informed their peers of the Penny Delay through group messages.

“It really got the word out,” Bonsignore said. “And people were able to ask questions outside of school and really get an idea of what’s happening.”

But past the monetary success, there was also success between students and teachers.

“There were a couple of stories that I’ve heard where teachers were able to have good conversations with students that they don’t normally have time for,” NHS sponsor Ms. Courtney Hausner said. “Some conversations like grades or how life is…Some were really having good bonding and communication.”

Regardless of the effect, according to Hausner NHS is excited to able to donate this much.