Students may use Resource Time to learn about
finances at the Glacier Hills Credit Union
By Beth Williams, Current Staff
Credit cards are a wonderful tool, right? You spend as much as you want, and someone else pays the bill. Wrong.
Glacier Hills Credit Union, located near the auditorium, now offers WBHS students information about how to responsibly handle finances. Starting this year, the credit union has been facilitating educational sessions to students during resource time. On Thursday afternoons, students can be seen sitting on the floor eating food from the Nifty Nibble while learning about different aspects of the financial world, such as small loans, credit cards, and budgeting.
Although Glacier Hills offered sessions called “lunch and learn” two years ago, these new classes are different. For starters, the lessons will no longer occur during lunch times. This puts less pressure on students to finish eating lunch quickly in order to attend the lessons. Also, these sessions give students a new activity to try during resource time. Instead of sitting in resource time with nothing to do, students can come to the credit union on Thursdays to receive a unique educational experience. The program is designed to give students information about their money in a relaxed setting. Questions and comments from students are welcome, and students are rewarded with a piece of candy for sharing their ideas.
Over the past few years, financial education has become increasingly important, especially to students attending high schools. Amy Barnes, who runs the high school branch of the Glacier Hills Credit Union, said that it is vital for teenagers to learn about finance because it is more normal for kids to have jobs today.
“Students need to save money to take care of themselves in order to move forward in the future,” said Barnes. She also mentioned how these educational sessions will teach people how to avoid financial problems, too.
Students agree that these lessons are relevant to their lives. Maria Jasen, a West sophomore who attends the meetings, said, “Finance is important to learn because the knowledge of how to manage our money will help us be more successful in life.”
East senior Holly Williams added, “This program has helped me learn about the financial options available for teenagers. I am now more comfortable with dealing with banks and credit unions, because I understand the types of programs they have and how to use them.”
(Image: Amy Barnes, director of the WBHS branch of Glacier Hills Credit Union. Photograph by Beth Williams.)
The West Bend Current 