Horizon Credit Union partners with high school
Josh Allison (far left) spoke with Moses Lake High School students Mythia Wright, Josh Phillips and Jerad Hunter Thursday.
MOSES LAKE - Managing finances can be confusing for anyone, adults and teenagers alike.
Horizon Credit Union is helping to ensure that seniors at Moses Lake High School get a grip on their financial lives before they make the transition from student to adult.
"One of the commitments credit unions across the country have made is a commitment to their communities and that shows itself through financial education," said Horizon Relationship Development Manager Josh Allison.
Financial education is exactly what a group of high school seniors got Thursday morning during a field trip to a Horizon Credit Union branch.
The students met with Horizon staff members who taught them about credit, FICO scores and interest rates.
"It's really cool to learn that your money is your money and you can use it to your benefit," said student Mythia Wright.
"I think as a senior it's really good to learn about credit and stuff before we get out of high school. That way we can get out on our own and not rely so much on our parents," said student Daryen Garza.
Garza thought it was beneficial to be in a real bank, seeing people come in and out and the way the staff interacted with them.
That sentiment was echoed by Allison.
"This is just one of our programs," Allison said. "But this one, I think, is ideal for high school, because it breaks down that intimidation barrier that a financial institution creates. You can see it by the time they leave here ... they're comfortable asking questions."
Three years ago, students needed additional math credits as state requirements changed, high school teacher Kristy Swartz said. She was working with the school's administration at the time to develop a new financial literacy class to help students meet that requirement.
"These are kids that have been working through the state system as the state system changed," Swartz said. "They are in a position where they needed to earn one or two more math credits after their sophomore year. And for some of them to go on to Pre-calculus or Algebra 2 or a geometry course, wouldn't suit their needs for what they're going to do in their life."
Horizon Credit Union has been involved with the class since its inception, Swartz said.
"Like most things in life, it was one of those happy accidents," said Swartz. "Our high school had been talking about how we were going to serve seniors that need a different type of math class outside of the traditional college preparatory focus."
At the end of the school year three years ago, Swartz said Horizon contacted the school about their financial literacy program. After hearing more about the program, Swartz said she was "head over heels" over what it could be.
Swartz said the curriculum includes information on credit, interest, late fees, insurance, investing and planning for retirement. One activity students partake in is investing in a mock stock market through www.weseed.com, she said.
One student took home curriculum from the class and helped his father get a better rate on an auto loan, Swartz said.
The class has evolved over the years, Swartz said, and now incorporates applied statistics into the curriculum.
"We're slowly bringing in more statistics and a little less of the financial literacy, but it's still applied mathematics for seniors," she said. She added, "No matter what, we will still maintain six weeks of the financial literacy aspect."
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