THS wins Financial Literacy Grant

The THS Career and Technical Education department (specifically the classes that pertain to money-management) was awarded a $2,000 Financial Literacy Grant today. The award comes after two lengthy application processes, and the money will be awarded within three weeks.

Melody Ojeda, CTE teacher and coordinator, applied for the grant to benefit the Banking and Financial Systems and Money Matters classes.  Currently, (among other projects and focus-areas) these classes include ‘simulation’ projects where each student is given a salary, budget for housing, etc., children to financially care for, monthly bills and more.  

Melody Ojeda and her finance students.

“We carry this project throughout the semester, and the students ‘draw out of a hat’ real-life scenarios that will affect their budget, savings, even their job, etc. They then have to adapt to these scenarios and adjust their budget/life accordingly,” Ojeda said.

During this project, the students learn the ‘cost of credit,’importance of savings, and major importance of planning.  They ‘shop’ for houses and cars, and have to care for their ‘children’ and family.  With this grant, Ojeda intends to enhance this project and program with technology tools and more updated books for the courses.

“So many students graduate high school not understanding how to manage a checking account,  how to manage a loan, or how the consequences of choices they make now affect them far down the line,” Ojeda said.  “My goal for these courses is for them to have a better understanding of all these things, and leave high school ready to manage their finances effectively.”

Aside from the budgeting project, these classes focus on the banking industry and how it works, loans, how to decide what bank and account to choose when the time comes, interest, the true nature of ‘credit,’ and much more.

“Students need to understand that a salary of $20,000 or $30,000 - or even $100,000 - may look big, but must be handled responsibly if it is to last.  I also want to instill that consequences of decisions they make will follow them.  Good or bad,” Ojeda said. “ If we instill in our students the importance of money-management and make them more conscious of the decisions they make, it will make for a better society as a whole.  These students will be running the country/world when we are retiring.  We need responsible future-leaders and productive citizens.”

In the end, Ojeda hopes that the students will leave these classes with knowledge, understanding and the skills to thrive after graduation.

“I don’t want them just to ‘make it,’” Ojeda said. “I want them to thrive, to prosper, and to be successful in all areas after leaving high school.”