Every fall, The Effect kicks off the year with something truly exciting: Penny Wars! This is a game that the entire school participates in to raise money for microloans. Every student brings loose change to school and places it in their advisory’s (homeroom’s) designated jug. Every single cent in coin form is worth a positive point. The catch is, every cent in the form of paper money is worth a negative point, meaning that students can sabotage other homerooms hundreds of points at a time with just a few dollars. The object of the game is to win the most points, and this fuels everyone in the school to bring large amounts of money or even just contribute a few coins found in their pockets.