ROME TOWNSHIP — They’re the undefeated champions for the third straight year. Once again the kindergarten class of Bonnie Dennison at Fairland East Elementary brought in the most pop tabs in an annual school campaign to help out the Ronald McDonald House.

Each year starting in January, the children of the eight kindergarten classrooms at Fairland East bring in the aluminum tabs off soft drink and soup cans to the school.

Then after about two months, Chris Cielec of the Proctorville McDonald’s shows up to pick up the collection, take it to Rumpke’s for weighing and exchanges that silver for some more negotiable cash.

Other classrooms who participated this year were those of Jana Flynn, Amy McCune, Beverly Price, Heather Oder, Cheri Hutchinson, Beverly Blatt and Felicia VanNostrand.

This will be the third year for the school to participate and usually the tabs bring in between $175 to $200 for the Ronald McDonald House in Huntington, W.Va.

This Tuesday Cielec came to the school to pick up the collection. Dennison’s class brought in 75 pounds out of the 207 pounds of tabs collected.

“It is wonderful,” Cielec said about the children’s efforts. “And to see they’re really energized to do it. They feel they are helping other families.”

As a prize Dennison’s class will all get Happy Meals, compliments of the Proctorville McDonald’s.

Dennison sees the project as a valuable teaching tool on many fronts.

“They are recycling and they help the Ronald McDonald House,” she said. “They are helping somebody else. It is like they are thinking they can make a difference in somebody’s life. I have a bunch of caring kids.”