For the eighth consecutive year, a Collinsville High School team competed at the Illinois Personal Finance Challenge State Competition held at the Federal Reserve Bank in Chicago.
On Tuesday, April 16, 2019, senior Nicholas Shepherd and freshmen Emma Stauthammer, James Metcalf and Tyler Morgan represented CHS in that state finals.
This year, 132 teams from Illinois schools took the online exam that covered all areas of financial literacy: Earning Income, Buying Goods and Services, Using Credit, Saving, Financial Investing, and, Protecting and Insuring.
The top scoring team from each of the five Illinois regions and the next top five high scoring teams in the state were invited to Chicago for the State finals. Collinsville won Region 5 which qualified them to attend.
The other State qualifiers included: Chicago Christian, La Moille, Lyons Township, Metea Valley, Naperville Central (2 teams), Payton College Preparatory, Waubonsie Valley, and West Chicago. This year Collinsville placed ninth overall.
CHS Personal Finance Challenge Coach and Business Teacher Vicki Fuhrhop said she was extremely proud of her students performance given they were the only school competing at State that included three freshman.
“Most schools are predominantly juniors and seniors. I’m very pleased with their performance and the level of maturity they showed against some truly talented schools.,” said Fuhrhop, “My hope is to build a strong base with these three freshman and have them return next year. If they continue to learn and practice, their background knowledge and experience will be invaluable and make them a stronger contender.”
The Illinois Personal Finance Challenge is a program of Econ Illinois and made available to schools through support from partners and donors. Special recognition to Illinois State Treasurer Michael W. Frerichs for his endorsement and generous support and for in-kind support from the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.