Hillcrest School students got a reprieve from their regular curriculum April 9 to spend the day learning about financial literacy.
The lessons were provided by Franklin High School’s Future Business Leaders of America Club and members of Rutgers University’s Phi Beta Lambda organization, under the auspices of the Junior Achievement program.
“This is the first time we’re connecting Rutgers University students with high school students” in the program, FBL adviser Ron Richter said. “We’re trying to foster some kind of mentorship between them.”
Through the program, called “High School Heroes,” two FBL and one PBL members were assigned to each of the school’s 19 Kindergarten to 4th Grade classrooms, Richter said. The elementary school students were given grade-appropriate lessons in financial literacy, he said.
For example, the Kindergarten program is called “Ourselves,” where students learn about the concepts of “want” versus “need.” In the 3rd Grade classrooms, students build a small city in the room “to see how city planning works,” Richter said.
The 4th Grades learn how company’s make profits, and how different regions of the country are suited for different products, he said.
At the end of the day, each child in the school received a certificate of completion in a mini graduation ceremony, Richter said.