Union Grove High School students learn what it really means to get a life
By Gregory Wall and Jeff Nielsen, Community State Bank
Contributors
On any other school day Jacob Noll, a junior at Union Grove High School, goes to classes, studies, hangs out with his friends and generally does whatever most regular high school students regularly do.
But on Tuesday, April 30, Noll found the circumstances in his life had changed dramatically thanks to “MyLIFE” (My Local Interactive Financial Education) – a financial literacy program developed by local businesses and educators at Union Grove High School.
That day, as a MyLIFE participant, Noll found himself to be a divorced father of three, struggling to pay the bills while juggling a full-time job as a firefighter.
All UGHS juniors attended the inaugural MyLIFE program April 30. Each student was presented with a folder that contained his or her new, randomly assigned “life”.
Each “life” included an occupation, marital status, spouse’s occupation, annual salary, number of dependents, child support (when required), pets, education, student loans, credit card debt, health insurance coverage and credit score.
Every student was thrust into an imaginary life with real-world problems, challenges and solutions.
As the students made their way through the MyLIFE experience, they were required to manage a complete monthly budget including a place to live, insurance (health, life, auto, homeowner’s), groceries, transportation, gas and repairs for their cars, child support – even health emergencies and other unexpected expenses.
With help from local businesses, volunteers and high school staff, students moved from station to station in the high school gym, navigating the MyLIFE program.
“I think the most surprising thing about my day was all of the expenses you don’t think about,” said Noll. “Like groceries, gas for your car. I even had to pay more for my condo because of my credit score!”
Dave Pettit, a member of the MyLIFE Development Team and a teacher at the high school, said the program provided students with a unique learning opportunity.
“The students took the program really seriously. I think it opened their eyes and gave them a glimpse of the challenges their parents have to deal with when it comes to managing a budget.”
The MyLIFE program originated at Community State Bank and was presented to a group of UGHS educators by Commercial Banking Officer Neil Buchanan, and Marketing Director Jeff Nielsen.
After seeing and experiencing a similar program at Tremper High School in Kenosha, Nielsen and Buchanan set out to create “MyLIFE.”
With a combination of both high school faculty and Community State Bank representatives, the committee was able to develop the MyLIFE experience, schedule the event, recruit business partners and launch the program.
“We’re looking forward to expanding the program and continuing to strengthen the partnership between educators and the local business community,” said Nielsen.
Union Grove High School student Casi Schatzman contributed to this article.
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