Dollars and sense...

By TAMMIE TOLER
Princeton Times

June 26, 2009 11:19 am

— BPRINCETON — Area students showed off their cents and minded their money this week at the Mercer County Technical Education Center.
The annual Money Amusement Academy kicked off early this week with approximately 21 students signed on to learn how to invest their time and money wisely and balance their wants and needs with their income. Those are some tough lessons for teenagers, as was evident during speaker Freddie Pierce’s presentation Tuesday.
“In life, you don’t always get what you want,” Pierce encouraged students to repeat, repeatedly.
As part of the exercise, Pierce asked the students to break up into groups representing what they might like to have for lunch: yogurt or a cheeseburger. Nearly every student preferred the burger in a bagged lunch, while the business teachers in the group represented the healthier yogurt.
That’s where the aforementioned mantra entered the lessons, as the mentors explained that heart concerns and healthy living simply didn’t include room for many cheeseburgers, much like tight budgets limit trips to fast-food restaurants.
“We have every confidence that Mercer County students are proficient in the core subjects,” academy organizer and Princeton Senior High School instructor Connie Vest said. “But, we have some real concerns about their money management skills. We want to expose our students to areas of earning money, investing and overall management of money.”
The week-long series of summer workshops is now in its fifth year and is open to any Mercer County student in Grades 9-12 when school starts in the fall. Throughout the week, students spend three hours each day in lessons designed to make money management fun, while still encouraging them to take an active role in their own financial future.
“Our objectives are to encourage, excite and inspire them in these areas, while they’re learning the skills they’ll need to succeed financially after high school,” Vest said.
On Wednesday, James Rutledge, of the West Virginia Auditor’s Office was slated to conduct an auction, funded with play money, and Meagan Iddings, of City National Bank conducted an interactive presentation on banking on Thursday. That same day, the students toured the Chuck Mathena Center for a lesson on culture and investment in the community.
As a program finale, the Money Amusement Academy students joined the WomenTech participants for a trip to Gatlinburg, Tenn., and Ripley’s Aquarium.
Vest said the students appeared to be having great fun in an educational atmosphere Tuesday.
She credited much of the Money Amusement Academy success to two of its driving forces: Linda Cox, of the Mercer County Technical Education Center, and Carol McClaughery, of Career Connections.
“They’ve really done a lot of the work to make this program happen each summer, and it’s a wonderful program,” Vest said.
— Contact Tammie Toler at ttoler@ptonline.net.