Whiz Kids: St. Rocco's School Students

Name: Students of St. Rocco School, Atwood Avenue.

Accomplishment: As part of this year's Pennies for Patients charity drive to support the Rhode Island Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, students at the local Catholic School raised nearly $3,400 — a big increase over the $1,940 they collected last year.

Keys to Awesomeness: Teamwork — and healthy competition. Director of Non-Academics Robin Okolowitcz explained during a phone interview this morning that students chose one of three options for collecting change: hanging onto their own loose change; contributing their allowances and doing good deeds; or canvassing their neighborhoods to collect donations.

During the drive, classes competed against each other to see who could raise the most money. Class 6A earned top honors, with $725 collected.

Said Principal Magdalen Chianese: "They made a wonderful effort, and they pulled together to do it."