BRUNSWICK — Students at St. John Catholic School have developed some interesting new hobbies, like persistently looking under car seats and flipping over couch cushions in the search for pennies.

Their motivation is not personal gain. The St. John students are helping to save lives.

Pennies for Patients is a program in which students collect and donate pennies from Jan. 23 until Feb. 6. Grades will compete against each other to see who raises the most money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the world’s largest nonprofit health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research and providing education and patient services.

“Our students are blessed with so many things and advantages in their lives,” said Deborah Goering, principal at St. John. “When there is a chance to help them learn about helping others in need, we see this as a way to help them grow into caring Catholic adults. They realize how sick these other children are and they really want to do something meaningful for them.”

The event is part of the annual Maine Catholic Schools Week (Jan. 27 to Feb. 2) which celebrates the mission of Catholic Schools: to evangelize students by nourishing faith and encouraging academic excellence while accentuating the importance of community and service in a nurturing environment.

In addition to Pennies for Patients, St. John Catholic School will also host a variety of special events during Catholic Schools Week including an open house on Sunday from noon to 2 p.m., spelling and geography bees, multiple concerts, movies, class competitions and more.

St. John will also hold its first-ever Teacher Swap on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 as teachers from different grades will trade off for the day.

“It will help the students see different teachers in a different light,” said Goering. “I think the teachers will also appreciate their classes and how hard they work.”

St. John Catholic School is located on 37 Pleasant St.