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Saving Box Tops

Sixth graders at Grimsrud elementary are getting a quick lesson in accounting.

"About 45 minutes, we can bring in about a thousand dollars for our school pretty quickly," said teacher Kate Skibicki.

The students are tallying Box Tops for Education. The pink labels are cut and collected off dozens of every day items at the grocery store.

"We used to have a parent who did all this at home for hours and hours," Skibicki said.

Each Box Top is only worth about ten cents. Not much. But in eight years, Grimsrud Elementary has collected more than 100,000 of them, giving them almost $12,000 for equipment and supplies.

"Over the years, since I`ve been at Grimsrud, our PTO has purchased playground equipment, they`ve purchased activboards and projectors for all of our classrooms," Skibicki said.

"We refer to it as kind of a no brainer. It`s free money," said Sunrise elementary Principal Lynn Wolf.

Wolf says Sunrise elementary has generated more than five thousand dollars in two years by asking parents and others to send in the Box Tops.

"Risers for the kids to stand on during music programs. Being a new school, we had to purchase those. That`s $20,000 worth of material we purchased."

Box Top money has also helped pay for new books and other supplies. It`s now become a healthy competition between the grades.

"The classroom that brings in the highest dollar amount of labels per capita per child will then get to have an extra phy-ed period. And the kids really enjoy that. It`s a good wholesome activity," Wolf said.

Schools that save the Box Tops send them in before two deadlines, November 1 and March 1. General Mills then sends those schools a check. A pretty good way put some change in the education pot without raising taxes.

You can also earn e-Box Tops by shopping online.

Besides Box Tops, Grimsrud also collects Campbells Soup Labels for Education, printer ink cartridges and Central Market receipts.