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Sponsors make our work possible. Without their support, our support of thousands of Maryland students and educators around personal finance and economic education wouldn't be possible. This month, we’re highlighting State Farm - a longtime supporter of MCEE.
State Farm is committed to supporting organizations and initiatives that enhance the education of the communities where it works. And according to Dwayne Redd, a State Farm Analyst, Corporate Responsibility, the company’s support of MCEE was natural. “We believe education - especially financial education, is crucial,” explained Redd. “We’re proud to support an organization like MCEE in helping students build that foundation of financial understanding that will help them throughout life.”
In addition to its general operating support of MCEE, State Farm sponsors MCEE’s Personal Finance Challenge, allowing us to organize the one-day competition for hundreds of students across Maryland, and make sure teachers have resources and guidance to leverage the experience for classroom learning.
“The Personal Finance Challenge pushes a student into the arena and helps them take the opportunity to engross themselves in the topic while getting hands-on learning experience. It’s an impactful program,” said Dwayne.
State Farm also supports the Economic & Financial Education Summit for teachers, where Maryland educators meet each summer to share ideas, network, and learn trends and techniques in financial education.
Beyond program sponsorship, State Farm gets involved. Their agents have joined MCEE-led leadership panels on women in business, served as judges for the Personal Finance Challenge, and led workshops at the Summit on what teenagers need to know about insurance.
“It is a pleasure to support initiatives that allow for educator growth and hands-on student learning,” said Mr. Redd. “We’re thrilled with the work MCEE does, and we couldn’t be happier to partner with them.”
To learn more about State Farm’s community support initiatives, visit https://www.statefarm.com/about-us/corporate-responsibility
Economic education teaches students to think critically and logically, and to make the thoughtful choices that will result in financial and personal success.
Here are a few ways we’re celebrating Economic Education Month:
Resources: Our Economic Education Month Calendar features daily resources, insightful videos, engaging lesson plans and fun quizzes to support students and educators of all subjects in economic education. Find it here.
MCEE’s mission to help ensure Maryland students leave high school equipped with the economic and personal finance knowledge and decision making skills necessary to succeed in life is only possible thanks to our supporters and sponsors.
Bank of America has been one of those generous supporters of MCEE for nearly 20 years. Through its partnership with MCEE, Bank of America fulfills the goals both organizations share: to make financial lives better, believing that financial education is vital for youth and empowers them to take control of their financial futures.
Bank of America is committed to responsible growth, which includes strengthening and sharing its success with the many communities it serves. That commitment is embedded across Bank of America’s business and philanthropic efforts, aiming to advance the financial mobility of the clients and communities it works with.
Bank of America’s Better Money Habits program educates high school students about smart financial decisions, putting them on a path to financial independence and providing greater economic opportunity. MCEE makes this excellent interactive resource available to teachers as they teach topics like saving, investing, and responsible use of credit. It is infused in MCEE educator professional development experiences - both through workshops and online. Bank of America volunteers also engage with students directly through classroom visits where they share tips and expertise around personal finance.
“Bank of America’s partnership with the Maryland Council on Economic Education expands access to financial education for Maryland students,” said Janet Currie, President, Bank of America Greater Maryland. “MCEE is providing the youth in our community with the tools and resources they need to build their financial know-how, which will help advance economic mobility in the region.”
MCEE is excited to announce the expansion of its Education Team. To better accommodate the growing needs of Maryland educators and students, MCEE has created two new, leadership-level positions and appointed two experienced professionals: Mary Metzler, a long-time MCEE staff member, is now Director of Student Programs; and George Toepher is the new Director of Teacher Education.
As Director of Student Programs, Mary Metzler will enhance how MCEE student experiences, such as the Stock Market Game and the Personal Finance Challenge, align with classroom instruction, and engage students in learning to stimulate long-term behavioral change. Over the last two years, Mary has been so successful in improving the instructional resources and teacher support for these programs. MCEE has asked her to focus all of her talents in the continual enhancement of these opportunities.
Prior to joining MCEE, Mary taught business management, economics, and accounting in Howard County Public Schools. She is also an adjunct instructor for Howard Community College where she teaches Introduction to Business Management and Organization. As a former teacher who used MCEE programs as a learning tool in her classes, Mary understands the value of participatory personal finance activities and the support that teachers need to best employ them.
As Director of Teacher Education, George Toepher will develop initiatives and relationships to offer Maryland’s teachers robust resources and professional development opportunities to improve the instruction of economics and personal finance across all content areas including dynamic workshops, professional development courses, courses for academic credit and other advanced educational programs.
George has more than 30 years of experience in education, having previously served as Supervisor of Social Studies at Harford County Public Schools (HCPS), and prior as a social studies teacher and department chairperson. The 2019 recipient of the Middle States Council for the Social Studies (MSCSS) Distinguished Service Award, George has vast expertise in interpreting our state education standards and developing educational opportunities for teachers that helps them understand the standards themselves, why they matter and how to teach them in engaging ways. He’s able to look beyond today to see what skills and knowledge teachers will need in the future and develop professional development opportunities that prepare them. With experience as both a classroom teacher and administrator, he understands the needs of both.
Said Julie Weaver, Executive Director of MCEE, “With these two incredibly talented leaders guiding our education team, Maryland teachers will have the opportunity, tools and support to deliver economic and personal finance education to students in ways that are interesting, impactful and aligned with state standards. Mary and George have the passion, the experience and the enthusiasm to excite teachers, and to use that excitement to make economic & financial education concepts relevant and meaningful to their students.”
How can educators help students navigate their way to financial independence? What do students need to know about budgeting and saving, and how can educators best teach them?
In the workshop “Credit: What Do Students Need to Know About Budgeting?” participants explored how to conduct a budgeting simulation game in their classrooms by challenging students to choose a salaried job and “walk through” life and the financial decisions that come with it. In another session, “Get Insured: What Do Teenagers Need to Know About Risk Management,” educators were shown how to teach the most important elements students should know about insurance and rates. Other workshops covered teaching about globalization, how to best prepare students for the Stock Market Game, and using picture books to teach economics and personal finance.
The feedback from teachers at the Summit attests to the importance and success of the professional development experience. Check out some testimonials, here:
Loretta Duppins, Prince George's County Teacher
Amanda Price, Calvert County Teacher
National Personal Finance Challenge: Students from the Application and Research Laboratory school in Ellicott City were first runner-up in the competition that showcased their knowledge of money management, including expertise in earning income, buying goods and services, saving, using credit, investing, as well as protecting and insuring.
In the competition hosted by the Maryland Council on Economic Education, the team beat out nearly 100 other teams to be statewide champions - a significant increase in statewide participation from just 22 teams last year. The team went on to compete with winning teams from 4 other states in New York.
The students on the winning team were Nathaniel Sager, Noah Hoffman, Juniors: Anuj Alamasety and David Liu. Their advisor and coach was Dr. Maddie Halbach.
M&T Bank is the lead sponsor of the Maryland Personal Finance Challenge. Said Sherrice Davis:
VP and Community Reinvestment Officer for Baltimore, M&T Bank and a Board Member, Maryland Council on Economic Education, "At M&T Bank, we are committed to providing tools and through financial education, empowering our communities with knowledge to make forward-thinking choices in their daily lives. It’s our hope that every young person participating in the Personal Finance Challenge will better understand that achieving financial wellness is the foundation of a successful and stable future."
National Economics Challenge: Teams from Mt. Hebron High School in Ellicott City competed in the national finals in each of the two divisions after winning statewide competitions coordinated by the Maryland Council on Economic Education.
The team of Samuel Lieman, Saniya Mahate, John Michaels and Summit Sarkar placed second in the Adam Smith Division for advanced and returning competitors.
The team of Samidha Nageshwar, Hannah Seok, Yu Shin and Nandhu Manoj Pillai placed third in the David Ricardo Division for first-time Challenge competitors who have taken no more than one economics course.
The National Economics Challenge is the country’s only economics competition of its kind for high school students. It tests micro and macroeconomic principles as well as knowledge of the world economy.
All teams participating in the finals received an all-expense paid trip to New York for the competition, a trophy, banner, and a cash prize.
The Enquirer Gazette -- One team of Prince George’s County high school students was recently named winners of the Stock Market Game,a financial literacy competition and simulation organized by the Maryland Council on Economic Education. The winners were announced at an awards ceremony in May. The Stock Market Game is an educational simulation that teaches about the world of investing, the American economic system and the global economy. Students work in teams to invest and manage an imaginary $100,000portfolio while developing skills in math, teamwork, research and critical thinking. The winning students from Prince George’s County are Zaniyah Brockington, Antonio Charles, and Kamyra Jennings from Crossland High School in Camp Springs. The team, sponsored by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), were named southern region winners of the spring Stock Market Game™ (SMG). They grew their portfolio from $100,000 to $129,217. See full article here
PRINCE FREDERICK, Md. – One Calvert County team of middle school students and one individual middle school student have been named winners in regional and statewide competitions organized by the Maryland Council on Economic Education. The winners of the economics and financial literacy challenges were announced at an awards ceremony on Wednesday, May 18, 2022. Click here for complete article
AWARDS EVENT PRESS RELEASE
STUDENTS FROM ACROSS MARYLAND WIN STATEWIDE FINANCIAL LITERACY AND ECONOMICS COMPETITIONS
More than 100 elementary, middle and high school students from 13 Maryland counties were honored on Wednesday, May 18 2022, by the Maryland Council on Economic Education (MCEE) as winners of its statewide financial literacy and economics competitions. The students were celebrated at an annual luncheon and awards ceremony - MCEE’s first in-person awards ceremony in three years - attended by more than 200 guests at Towson University.
Nearly 20,000 students from 20 Maryland counties and Baltimore City participated in the MCEE-organized competitions this school year - the most students ever participating in MCEE programs.
Awards were presented to winning students in these competitions:
The winning students, listed by county, are:
Anne Arundel County:
Baltimore County:
Calvert County:
Carroll County:
Dorchester County:
Frederick County:
Harford County:
Howard County:
Montgomery County:
Prince George’s County:
Queen Anne’s County:
Wicomico County:
Worcester County:
Said Julie Weaver, MCEE Executive Director, “The winning students should be proud of this statewide honor. They have demonstrated their understanding of financial and economic concepts, as well as the importance for all students to learn about finances and how our economy works.”
The competitions are coordinated by the Maryland Council on Economic Education, the nearly 70 year-old nonprofit that assures that Maryland's school children leave high school equipped with the economic and financial literacy knowledge and decision-making skills they will need to make informed decisions as consumers, workers, citizens, savers, investors and participants in the global economy. In addition to student programs, MCEE offers free professional development and financial literacy education training and lesson plans for educators. Based on the campus of Towson University, MCEE supports more than 2,000 teachers each year who reach over 126,000 Maryland students.
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MEDIA INFORMATION:
Garrett Berberich
Himmelrich PR
518-429-8661
Ramon Looby is president and chief executive of the Maryland Bankers Association. Julie Weaver is executive director of the Maryland Council on Economic Education.
To improve financial resiliency and build a brighter and more prosperous future for our children, the time is now to support expanded access to financial education for all students in Maryland.
In its latest state-by-state survey, the American Public Education Foundation gave Maryland a C grade for its stagnant implementation of financial literacy standards in schools. Unfortunately, this mediocre evaluation did not come as a surprise for many Maryland parents with school-age children. Despite being widely supported by parents and students, only eight of Maryland’s 24 public school systems have financial literacy graduation requirements mandating that students complete a financial literacy course before graduating from high school.
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