Jade Gunion, Mariana Azarcoya, and Madysyn Bopp, Event Planning students from Valentine High School, along with seven teachers from the local communities organized an impactful event held on Tuesday, November 3, 2023, called “An Intro to Life”. This event was for the sophomores from the following schools: Ainsworth, Thedford, Keya Paha, Rock County, Cody-Kilgore, and Valentine. The seven teachers included: Juli Murphy, Tricia Anderson, Misty Downing, Liz Ravenscroft, Jamie Taylor, Alana Cardinal, and Janet Shelbourn. There were over 50 volunteers for this event to serve the 100+ students.
The day was focused on preparing students for their future with a strong emphasis on understanding financial responsibilities. They were given a life scenario complete with a job, family situation, debt challenges, and investment opportunities for their future. There were 13 different budgeting stations that the students had to visit. They made choices about spending and finished with a zero-based budget (every dollar was assigned a job). They also visited life skills stations which included simple things like sewing on a button, counting back change, hobby exploration, pet ownership, customer service, insurance, etc. These stations helped to teach them what might occur in their future. There was a Clifton Strengths session as well, which taught them how they can use their strongest attributes to help them succeed in life. Each student took a Clifton Strengths assessment prior to the event to figure out their top five strengths. Finally, there was a tire and auto station that taught them the basics of vehicle ownership.
This hands-on approach gave the sophomores insights into budgeting and the importance of financial planning which will help prepare them for their life journey. We would like to thank our local communities for the amazing support. We appreciate the financial contributions, but even more, the hours you donated to connect with, communicate with, and encourage the development of our youth. The Sandhills is a great place to live!
