MONMOUTH – At Monmouth Academy, students collect money for tsunami victims nearly every day. There are ribbon sales and 50/50 raffles, dollar donations to wear hats, open donations to wear casual clothes.

The activities have done well, netting more than $500 for Indonesia. But now the tiny public high school is adding a little kick to the basic fund-raisers.

It has challenged a dozen area high schools to join the fray.

Whoever collects $1,000 first wins.

“It’s a nice opportunity to coordinate these efforts and maybe, in the end, make an even greater contribution,” said Principal Michael Burnham. “You know how competitive kids are.”

Christine Arsenault, an English teacher and student council adviser at Monmouth Academy, came up with the competition last week as she met with the student council, National Honor Society and Future Business Leaders of America to brainstorm ideas. She wanted a way to motivate students and make the collection fun.

“They love the idea of a challenge,” she said.

As Monmouth students raised money by selling gold ribbons during a breakfast break, Burnham and Arsenault contacted area principals. Gardiner Area High School said yes. Winthrop High School said yes.

Cony High School in Augusta said yes with an exclamation point.

“We’re doing so awesome over here,” said Cony social studies teacher Denise O’Toole, who spearheaded the fund-raising events for her school.

Because the 900-student high school has already raised more than $1,400, Cony officials decided their goal would be $2,000, not $1,000.

Officials at Leavitt Area High School in Turner are thinking about joining the competition.

By Monday afternoon, Monmouth had not heard back from the other schools, including Lisbon High School, Buckfield Junior/Senior High School and Oak Hill High School in Sabattus.

Monmouth is billing the competition as “friendly.” The winner earns only bragging rights.

“It’s just the satisfaction of raising the money,” Arsenault said.

Student representatives from competing schools are expected to meet at the end of the month to decide where all of the tsunami money will go.

Area high school officials are still telling their students about the contest. At Monmouth, students have known since last week.

Sami Fairchild, a 15-year-old Monmouth Academy sophomore, helped start the fund raising at her school. The competition is fun, she said. It has spurred students to give more.

But at the end of the day, she said, winning isn’t what’s important.

“We just really want to raise as much money as we can for people,” she said.