Iowa Jump$tart Coalition

Iowa City West High School placed 7th in the 2018 National Economics Challenge, hosted by the Council for Economic Education in May in New York City. The challenge teaches and supports critical success skills for high school students, which help students prepare for future careers. Students reached the national competition by placing first in their state competitions. In the national event, the students were presented with a hypothetical family financial scenario and given two hours to come up with a resolution to the family’s financial situation. In the preliminary round, teams were randomly divided into three groups and presented their findings to judges. The top team in each group then presented to a panel of elite judges in the final round. The 2019 challenge will take place May 18-20, 2019. Click here to learn more.

Business Horizons is looking for Iowa high school students (grades 9-12) to join in the fun this summer at Business Horizons 2018! During the week-long program, students from across the state team up and take part in exciting competitions as they navigate the world of business and entrepreneurship alongside Iowa professionals. Students gain hands-on experience, receive advice from expert speakers, explore career options in Iowa and develop their leadership and professional skills. Business Horizons provides valuable college and career experience for all students, regardless of career interest. Participants can also earn college credit and a Central College scholarship by attending.

If needed, program scholarships and/or financial assistance is available to attend. Contact info@businesshorizonsiowa.com with questions.

Visit www.BusinessHorizonsIowa.com to learn more, nominate students to attend, download applications and view program videos. You can also download the 2018 brochure for more information.

Tihanna Brown is the winner of the 2018 Money Smart Piggy Bank Pageant contest, receiving a $100 award. With the contest, children design piggy banks to learn about financial literacy.

Sponsored by the Community Bankers of Iowa, the Money Smart poster contest provides students in grades 2-6 with the chance to submit posters that depict “Why is it important to know about money?” for the chance to win a certificate of deposit (CD).

The winners of the contest have been announced and are:

Grand Prize – Vivienne Rahe, 2nd Grade, Xavier Elementary, submitted by Fidelity Bank & Trust in Dyersville

Second Prize – Claire Wubbena, 5th Grade, Lincoln Elementary, submitted by Federation Bank in Washington

Third Prize – Laura Ross, 6th Grade, Sioux Center Elementary, submitted by Northwest Bank in Sioux Center

Honorable Mention – Joe McCleary, 5th Grade, Lincoln Elementary, submitted by Federation Bank in Washington

The grand prize winner receives a $600 CD. Second and third prize winners receive a $300 CD.

Presentation photo (left to right): Randy Ludwig, Market President, Fidelity Bank & Trust, Tiffany Wulfekuhle, Customer Service Rep (Fidelity), Vicki Rahe (mother), Vivienne Rahe, Andy Rahe (father), Joan Steger, Asst. Vice President of Retail (Fidelity).

Iowa student Kaylee Lowe and her teacher Kathy Paul each received at $250 award for participating in the Money Smart Cache! contest. One statewide prize is awarded each year from Iowa Jump$tart to an Iowa student and teacher who participate in the contest. Kaylee is a student at North Union High School in Armstrong, Iowa. Kathy is the family and consumer science teacher at the school.

Professional Educators of Iowa (PEI) is offering three personal finance courses this summer especially for educators, which also offer the opportunity to earn one credit for licensure renewal for each course. The first course, Teaching STEM Career Readiness and Financial Education, will be offered June 18-19. The second course, Teaching 21st Century Financial Literacy, will be offered June 25-26. The third course, Personal Financial Literacy for Educators, will be offered July 16-17. All courses will be held at the PEI Conference Center at 974 73rd Street, Suite 30 in West Des Moines. Click here to register online.

Hope Dohlman, an eleventh-grader at Crestwood High School, has won the statewide financial literacy essay contest for Money Smart Week Iowa and has been named Iowa’s 2018 Money Smart Kid. Dohlman also received $1,000 from the Iowa Bankers Association to put towards her college education.

“Knowing how natural disasters can affect your financial health and vice versa, is an important aspect of financial education, and it is exciting to see these students learn about that relationship through this essay contest,” 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 the Money Smart Week Kid essay contest is just one of the many ways banks are helping their communities. We are pleased to sponsor this fun and educational opportunity for Iowa students on behalf of our member banks.”

Approximately 45 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 400-word essay. The essay asked students to write a brief newspaper article describing the potential devastating effects of a natural disaster on a family’s financial situation. Students were also asked to include tips and resources for readers to help prepare them for a potential future unexpected crisis.

The top five essay finalists also participated in an interview with contest judges. From those finalists, Hope Dohlman was selected to be the 2018 Money Smart Kid.

“To be better prepared, all families should establish an emergency savings program,” Dohlman stated in her award-winning essay about a hypothetical vehicle accident during a snowstorm. “By having these emergency funds set aside, families can be better prepared to pay the unexpected medical bills and also fund a small portion of the repair or replacement of their vehicle.”

In addition to Dohlman, the top ten essay finalists were recognized and awarded money to put toward their college savings funds. Individuals receiving $500 towards their college savings include: Alexander Romig (Grimes), Brayan Silva (Postville), Caleb Kehrli (Manchester), and Kyra Troendle (Madrid). Students awarded $300 toward their college savings fund include: Emma Ehlers (Edgewood), Laura Paul (Johnston), Thea Larsson (Grinnell), Tristan Stubblefield (Marengo), and Tristan Weers (Anamosa).

More information about Money Smart Week is available at http://www.moneysmartweek.org.