Bank At School Dinner

At the annual Bank At School (BAS) dinner on November 13, more than 75 bankers, teachers and administrators honored three executives-- M&T Bank's Patti Hasting, New Castle County School Employee Federal Credit Union's Terri Keene and State Bank Commissioner Robert Glen-- for their contributions and ongoing commitment to the BAS program. Sponsored by the CEEE and the Delaware Financial Literacy Institute in partnership with six banks and six federal credit unions in Delaware, the program has been nurturing the ethic of saving and teaching Delaware students the importance of money management since 1992.    

Bankers open no-fee, non-custodial savings accounts for students in Delaware's elementary and middle schools and return weekly during the school year to accept deposits. Currently, the Bank At School program serves more than 1,600 student depositors in 72 school "branch" banks throughout Delaware.

The BAS dinner allows participating bankers, teachers and administrators to receive updates on the popular program and provide feedback to ensure its continual growth and improvement.   

This past December, 25 Delaware high school economics teachers attended a conference in Dover to review the third edition of High School Economics (HSE), a classroom resource developed by the Council for Economic Education. The resource addresses the four Delaware economic benchmarks: microeconomics, macroeconomics, economic systems and international trade.

Aligned with the Common Core Standards, the revised edition of HSE includes 28 engaging lessons that feature interactive online programs, references to contemporary issues such as GDP and unemployment, and self-guided homework activities. It allows teachers to update economic statistics, ensuring that students have the necessary tools to practice Common Core informational text analysis.

To promote the implementation of the interactive lessons and activities featured in HSE, the teachers attending the Dover conference participated in two simulation lessons: Who Decides Wage Rates and the Unemployment Survey. Two teachers who are completing the CEEE's MAEEE program, Dickinson High's Anthony Swierzbinski and Alexis I. duPont High's Joe Manlove, presented the lessons to the assembled teachers, who expressed their desire for additional opportunities to collaborate, participate in classroom activities from the student's perspective, and obtain instructional assistance and resources from the CEEE. All the teachers received copies of the latest edition of HSE.

Lessons and activities from the most recent editions of High School Economics will be incorporated into future updates of the Delaware Recommended Curriculum.

This spring, the CEEE will offer more opportunities for teachers to enhance their understanding of economic principles and observe best practices in economic and personal finance education.