NANAKULI — Teachers and administrators at Nanaikapono Elementary School were touched when the student council decided to raise money to help out victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Then they were dumfounded when, after a mere five days, the kids turned in a ton of loot. Pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters totalling nearly $3,000. The stash was so massive, the staff wasn't able to stuff it into the office safe. They ended up bringing in an armored truck.

Even then Principal Myron Brumaghim said it took a herculean effort to move the mountain of coins.

"It really weighed a lot," Brumaghim said. "It took us a long, long time to put it into the truck."

And the coins keep rolling in. The children can't seem to stop themselves. Yesterday, Brumaghim and staff were hauling around more heavy bags of money.

The Nanaikapono students aren't alone in their zeal to be generous. In two weeks, the religion classes at Damien Memorial School raised $4,500 for evacuee students in Mississippi, and in three weeks youngsters at St. Patrick School raked in $6,000 for hurricane relief.

All of which touched the heart of American Red Cross Hawai'i Chapter CEO Coralie Chun Matayoshi, who said someone from her office would personally go to Nanaikapono School when the kids get back from break and pick up the check.

"It's really heartwarming to see such an outpouring of compassion," she said.

According to Nanaikapono student council adviser, Maria Marbella, the idea came from council president, sixth-grader Tyson Sugimoto, 11. The two were brainstorming about how to assist Hurricane Katrina victims.

"I said, 'What do you want to do?' And he said, 'Why don't we do a fundraising and the student council can oversee it?' So I said, 'OK, call in your officers from each class.' "

The council formulated a plan to put cardboard boxes marked "Katrina Aid Relief Efforts," (Nanaikapono KARES), in each of the 53 classes and ask students to drop coins in them from Sept. 12 to 16.

The council set a goal of raising $500, but Sugimoto was confident that the 985 school students would cough up as much as $700, or even more. He was right, and then some.

When Marbella and co-student council adviser Kim Bernardino finally finished their coin count, which took them two days, they couldn't believe they'd tallied up in excess of $2,700.

The class that raised the most money would be rewarded with their own juice and cookie session. But kindergarten teacher Amy Chagami, whose 16 students turned out to be the class coin champs — racking up $280.29 — said it soon became clear that the motivation was not just juice and cookies.

"They cared about what they'd seen on television," Chagami said. "They understood that there was a great need on the other side of the ocean. They have a little, and they gave a little. And that little is more than a lot."

One of Chagami's kindergartners, Dylan Woods, 5, said it was fun collecting the money for kids in need far away. Where'd he get all the cold hard cash?

"My mom gave it to me from my piggy bank," he said.

Nanaikapono vice principal Richard Stevens said the fundraiser involved the whole community.

"In all fairness there were members of the faculty and parents who contributed," Stevens said. "But really, it mostly came from the kids. It was all through their efforts.

"You hear things about kids over here. But this proves what they're really like."

Reach Will Hoover at whoover@honoluluadvertiser.com.