Centennial In Running For National Grant

Centennial High School students could get an advantage over their peers when it comes to personal finance issues if they win the H&R Block Dollars & Sense grant that school administrators have applied for. But, in order to win, they need the help of the local community, said H&R Block Spokeswoman Anna Morrison.

Since 2009, high schools all over the country have sought the grant, which provides them with a curriculum and software package from Knowledge Matters called “Virtual Business – Personal Finance.” The curriculum uses simulation software to create real world experiences that help students learn and practice good financial habits.

“It’s an interactive curriculum that takes students through 18 real-life scenarios that cover topics like budgeting, credit scores, debt management, bill paying…in a fun environment,” Morrison told Roswell Patch. “Students really get to experience the results of their financial decisions.”

According to Morrison, more than 500 schools across the country have applied for the grant this year and, so far, more than 50,000 votes have been cast nationwide. Only half - or 250 - of those schools which have applied will win the grant.

“I think that helps to show how teachers are motivated to get their communities out to vote,” she said.

Winning the grant – which has been given out to more than 2,700 schools since the program began – would help educators at Centennial teach students the basics of personal finance. And that’s a good thing since statistics show that only 15 percent of teenagers receive any formal personal finance education before graduation, according to the National Endowment for Finance Education. On the same note, Jumpstart Coalition for Financial Literacy says that 50 percent of high school seniors fail when tested on basic personal finance.

“We’ve heard a lot of great feedback from teachers using the program,” said Morrison.

The deadline to vote is April 15. To place your vote for Centennial, click here, enter Georgia into the state field and find the school.