Katherine Currier, an eighth grader at Goodrell Middle School, has won the statewide financial literacy essay contest for Money Smart Week Iowa and has been named Iowa’s 2015 Money Smart Kid. Currier was recognized April 24 at Goodrell Middle School. Currier will also receive a $1,000 Certificate of Deposit sponsored by the Iowa Bankers Association.
“Financial education is an important subject for students to learn early, and it is exciting to see these students’ learning more about real-world applications and solutions to help with saving,” said Lori Ristau, vice president of marketing and communications at the Iowa Bankers Association. “Iowa banks are committed to helping Iowans reach their financial goals, and providing access to financial education resources through programs like Money Smart Week is just one of the many ways banks can help. That is why we are happy to sponsor this fun and educational opportunity for Iowa students on behalf of our member banks.”
Approximately 229 students from across the state participated in the essay contest. To be eligible, students had to be in grades seventh through eleventh and submit a 300-word essay. The essay asked students to describe the biggest obstacle to saving money and what technological and/or banking solutions might help them (and their friends) begin to save. The top six essay finalists also participated in an interview with contest judges. From those finalists, Katherine Currier was selected to be the 2015 Money Smart Kid.
“For the second straight year, we have had over 200 essays from bright students across Iowa,” said Matt Brown, chair for the Money Smart Youth Outreach Committee. “This year’s question placed a fundamental financial concept–saving–in front of middle and high school students, and we got a glimpse of the future by reading their creative ideas for technological and/or banking solutions. I could not be more pleased or hopeful for Iowa’s future.”
Currier wrote in her award-winning essay, “Many people start saving money, but soon quit because the urge to spend gets the better of them. The sooner kids are encouraged to save, the sooner they develop good habits for balancing wants and needs.”
Currier is the daughter of Larry and Vona Currier. As Iowa’s 2015 Money Smart Kid, Currier will serve as a spokesperson promoting financial education during Money Smart Week, April 18-25, in communities across the state. In addition to Currier, the five essay finalists were: Samantha Dilocker (Red Oak), Laura Stowater (Algona), Rachel Kerger (Ankeny), Andrew Wise (Johnston) and Christian Elliott (Bettendorf).
More information about Money Smart Week is available at www.moneysmartweek.org.
Iowa Jump$tart Coalition 