More than $1,400 has been returned to its owner after a group of sixth- and seventh-graders found the money during a roadside cleanup in Forsyth County.

The Riverwatch Middle School Builders Club made the discovery along James Burgess Road during an Adopt-a-Road trash pickup.

A girl ran up to teacher Dana Hunley after finding a $100 bill.

“Then the next child came running up going ‘Look,’ and had a handful. There were four ($100 bills) in it,” Hunley said. “Then they all started really scurrying to look.”

In total, the students found $1,419 lying in open areas along the side of that stretch of road.

The last $100 bill found was next to two driver’s licenses and some credit cards that all shared the same name.

The group called the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, which Hunley and the children eventually agreed was “the right thing to do.”

The deputy took down the details, some photos and the cash.

After that, Hunley said her students asked every day if the owner of the loose bills had been found. Being able to finally tell them that the money had been returned was a great day, she said.