What started out as a penny drive three weeks ago at Ironton Elementary turned into sweet success Tuesday when the kids were congratulated for a job well done — very well done.

Three weeks ago teacher Heather Kerns challenged the students to fill up a Tyler Mountain water jug with pennies as part of a fundraising campaign for the Huntington Ronald McDonald house.

Evidently, the kids got into the spirit of giving with real gusto. Along with the pennies came nickels and dimes and paper money, too. At the end of three weeks, the kids had collected $865.98.

Kerns said she knew she was tugging quite a bit of money into the bank to be counted but was surprised when she learned just how much.

“I went to Ohio River Bank to have it counted and it took me and a janitor to load the change in the van. I had to take the dolly to get it out of the van and into the bank. And it took two people at the