A money fair at this St. John's school aims to make finance make 'cents' for students
Brother Rice Junior High wants to bridge the gap for students when it comes to understanding credit, budgeting and even bankruptcy.
"There's a void in children knowing about financial literacy," said Angela Dawe, an art and home economics teacher, who came up with the idea.
"So we're trying to implement good habits into kids now so they're not so difficult to break as they get older."
The St. John's school held its first money fair Thursday as a way to teach important lessons that aren't often in the traditional curriculum.
"We're trying to reimagine learning and look for ways that we can engage students in learning that is relevant, and learning that's going to stick," said the school's principal, Nancy Mandeville.
The number of people who filed for insolvency in Newfoundland and Labrador has increased significantly over the past few years, with rates among the fastest growing in Canada. Since 2014, personal insolvencies have doubled in Newfoundland and Labrador since 2014
"We're trying to implement good habits into kids now so they're not so difficult to break as they get older," Dawe said.
Lessons learned
Similar to a science fair, students chose a topic to research, and prepared a presentation to show to their classmates and teachers.
"They're kind of like mini experts in their field now," Dawe joked.
Brother Rice student Ashley Lucas looked at the effects of gambling on finances. She learned the importance of putting money aside to save for the future.
"Just don't blow it all away…it helps us learn how to budget our money for when we get jobs when we're older," she said.
Ryan Sommerton looked into how to find the right job. He said the project helped him learn about the different options available to people.
"It was good because I'm at the age where I can start getting jobs ... And this [is] kind of helping out for the future," Sommerton said.
Dawe said seeing all the different projects from students ended up teaching her a few things as well.
"It's amazing. I'm so proud," Dawe said. "It's my first time kind of digging into this ... It's been a great learning [experience] for me, and a great learning curve for the kids."
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