Students from Johnson-Brock sweep state Personal Finance Challenge

Teams from Johnson-Brock High School were the first- and second-place winners in the state finals of the Personal Finance Challenge, sponsored by the Nebraska Council on Economic Education.

In the state finals April 30 at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, five teams from across Nebraska competed in the event testing students' knowledge about personal finance. Each team was given a limited time to formulate a family financial plan and an oral presentation.

Members of the winning Johnson-Brock team are Kayla Alberts, Amanda Dunekacke, Kayla Fischer and David Shaffer. First-place team members each received $250, and the team moved on to represent Nebraska at the national competition this month in St. Louis. Sylvia Smith, business education teacher at Johnson-Brock, was the teacher for both the first-place and the second-place teams.

In addition to the two teams from Johnson-Brock High School, other teams competing in the state finals were West Point-Beemer High School in West Point, Cedar Rapids Public School in Cedar Rapids, and Wahoo High School in Wahoo. The five teams were selected out of an online qualifying round of testing that attracted 212 teams from 38 schools.

The Personal Finance Challenge is provided by the Nebraska Council on Economic Education, a nonprofit organization based at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Business Administration and dedicated to improving the economic and financial literacy of Nebraska students. Student prize money was provided by Nebraska Independent Community Bankers. The goal of the Nebraska Council on Economic Education is achieved through economic education programs, courses and workshops for educators. The Nebraska Council on Economic Education, housed at the UNL campus, has five centers located at the Universities of Nebraska campuses in Omaha, Lincoln and Kearney, and Wayne State and Chadron State colleges. Additional information on the Nebraska Council on Economic Education can be found at www.nebraskacouncil.org.

WRITER: Jennifer Davidson