Teens from Southern High take Missouri state Varsity LifeSmarts title

Reposted from The Missouri FCCLA Blog

A team from Southern High School in Ellington beat out 12 teams and captured the Missouri State Varsity LifeSmarts Championship by successfully fielding questions about real-life marketplace issues in Jefferson City on February 17.

“The team said it was the BEST DAY EVER. What a joy to get to see them mature into a great team” said their coach, Krista Hampton.LifeSmarts, a consumer education competition that challenges teens in grades 9-12 about personal finance, health and safety, the environment, technology, and consumer rights and responsibilities, is a program of the National Consumers League.

In Missouri, Merilee Thoenen, Supervisor, Family Consumer Sciences and Human Services, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) runs the program. It is coordinated by the Missouri Association of Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) and the financial sponsor is American Century Investments of Kansas City.

Teens from across the state first competed online for a chance to go to the in-person state finals held February 17 in Jefferson City. State champions from Southern Reynolds County R-II have qualified for the national LifeSmarts competition to be held in Miami, Florida, April 24-27.

“LifeSmarts participants in Missouri have gained many of the consumer ‘smarts’ they’ll need to make it in the real world,” said State Coordinator, Merilee Thoenen. “We’re proud to have Southern High School represent us at the 2010 National LifeSmarts Championship in Miami.”

Other teams participating in the state finals included 2nd place Ava Victory Academy, 3rd place Linn High School, Sherwood High School in Creighton, Maysville High School, Stanberry High School, Stoutland High School, Ruskin High School in Kansas City, Grandview Senior High School, Hermann High School, Frederick Douglass High School in Columbia and Fort Zumwalt South High School in St. Peters.

Cheney High takes WA state title

Washington State Coordinator Wency Offril, from the Office of the Attorney General, has announced that the winner of the WA state competition is Cheney High School, home of the Blackhawks. Offril reported that AG Rob McKenna stopped by the competition to welcome the students, teachers, and coaches before an exciting day of competition.

Offril thanked her fellow WA State Coordinator Will Rance and his team of WSECU volunteers for their time making the LifeSmarts State Competition a great success.

Offril said she nabbed the chief of the Consumer Protection Division to serve as Question Master at this year’s competition, and he was such a good QM that “he has the job as Question Master from now on--he just does not know that yet!” The secret is safe with us, Wency!

Calling on state champs to pilot our newest resources

The LifeSmarts program of the National Consumers League recently received an unrestricted education grant from Western Union to produce three new LifeSmarts U lessons aimed at educating teens (and their teachers and LifeSmarts coaches) about fraud. We were so excited to have this support from Western Union and the ability to broaden the content within LifeSmarts U.

The first lesson, Fact or Fake Out, is available to pilot at our teaching resources page at lifesmarts.org. We would especially ask state champion coaches to help us pilot the materials and provide us with their feedback at the Coaches meeting on April 24. As extra incentive, coaches (and their teams) will find that the information covered by this lesson shows up throughout the competitions at nationals this year. (In fact, one team activity will be devoted exclusively to fraud.)

The second lesson, which will debut at the national competition, breaks down the components of fraud so that consumers can recognize the tell-tale signs and appreciate how hard some scammers will work to steal their money.

The third lesson gives students practical tips for protecting themselves from fraud, highlights the importance of reporting it, and identifies the agencies that are there to help. After the pilot concludes, all three lessons will be available on the LifeSmarts U portion of the LifeSmarts Web site this summer.

Coaches getting prepped for Nationals format changes

By Lisa Hertzberg, LifeSmarts Program Director

Florida-bound LifeSmarts coaches recently joined conference calls to learn more about the upcoming national competition. The energy and enthusiasm were contagious – now we’re really excited to see you all Miami Beach, FL, later this month!

Format changes were the focus of the calls. To briefly recap:

• All teams compete eight times (four buzzer matches, and four assessments) – and those advancing to the quarterfinals compete even more!
• Point totals are cumulative
• Teams may challenge answers and be awarded points following competition
• Winning teams, individual students, and coaches will all be recognized for high achievement

To learn more, view the PowerPoint at our site and the fact sheet.

As we mentioned on the coach call, students can expect to work hard, and they should realize that they won’t know all the answers (and that’s OK!), but we are certain that they will arrive in Florida ready for the challenge!

Rivalry continues in Rhode Island

By guest blogger Jim Hedemark, RI Jump$tart Coalition Executive Director, Rhode Island LifeSmarts Coordinator

Dreams of Miami Beach, intensified by the rain pouring outside the State House on Friday, March 26th, were set aside in favor of the immediate business of brackets and buzzers as the 2010 Rhode Island LifeSmarts competition got underway. Six teams representing Ocean State high schools from Barrington, Burrillville, Lincoln, North Providence, North Smithfield, and Tolman vied for the prestigious Consumer Cup.

Secretary of State, A. Ralph Mollis who spoke to students during the certificate ceremony about the importance of civic involvement and consumer awareness applauds the program, “I am extremely proud of every one of the students who competed. Their parents should know that their children represented their families and schools tremendously at our State House.”

“March Smartness VI” presented by CollegeBoundfund, as we call our state finals, held all of the excitement of the basketball tournament by a similar name, but thanks to the Verizon Pioneers the food was much healthier than you might find at a sports venue. Along with volunteering as officials, the Pioneers make sure that nutrition isn’t just a LifeSmarts topic at our state finals each year.

More than 20 volunteers gave their time to fill the official duties, including scorekeepers, all accounting majors from Providence College, who would use a lot of ink recording points by Barrington and North Providence … as has been the case in the Ocean State for the six year history of our competition.

The Rhode Island “LifeSmarts Legends” page shows program dominance of these two schools with North Providence winning state titles in ‘05, ‘06, ‘08, and ‘09, and Barrington in ‘07 and ‘10.

In order to claim the 2010 Consumer Cup, Barrington had to beat the defending state champions from North Providence in the final round and again in overtime due to our double-elimination format. North Providence had bested Barrington in the second round of competition earlier in the day. This was a reversal of fortune from the 2009 competition where North Providence pulled off the same difficult feat over Barrington.

As quoted in a great article by Brenna McCabe, Valley Breeze Staff Writer, Barrington Captain Gabrielle Sclafani said, “I’m so excited for this. We came in second three years in a row, and we worked so hard this year.”

Peter Kerwin, spokesperson for CollegeBoundfund, the Rhode Island 529 college savings program reflects on the overtime round, “The only thing more gratifying than the overtime intensity was the 529 question that was posed in the tie-breaker.”

Perhaps Paul Horwitz, FDIC Boston Area Office Community Affairs Specialist, a veteran official at state and national LifeSmarts wraps us memories of March Smartness VI the best …

“It may be that the Consumer Cup and the chance for a trip to Miami Beach were the immediate rewards, but as today’s students become tomorrow’s adults, LifeSmarts competitors will have a significant advantage over their peers. Students involved in LifeSmarts know many of the answers to real life issues, where far too few of their peers may not even understand the questions.”

We look forward to following Barrington at nationals and although two teams in Rhode Island have presented LifeSmarts fans with over half a decade of intense rivalry, I have my eyes on a couple of young programs that will surely bring their best to future state competitions and earn a new home for the Consumer Cup.

Dallas High takes PA title in Harrisburg

By Brandi Williams, LifeSmarts Program Assistant

Coordinated by the Office of the Attorney General in Harrisburg, the Pennsylvania state LifeSmarts competition was originally scheduled for February 23. However, due to unexpected weather conditions resulting from “Snowpocalypse 2010” in the northeastern region of the country, the event was rescheduled to March 2.

Extreme weather didn’t stop the nine top-placing Pennsylvania LifeSmarts teams from packing their bags and heading to the capitol city of Harrisburg. The Pennsylvania competition was full of energy and excitement, from students, coaches, and volunteer staff, including members of Attorney General Tom Corbett’s staff. “We have such a great team [of volunteers] here,” said Nina Correale, who works in the Public Protection Division of the PA Office of Attorney General. “Everyone loves this program.”

Seven intense matches of competition led to a final match between Elizabethtown Area High School and Dallas High School. The teams were tied right through the end of the match, with Dallas High School winning the match by a single point.

State coordinator Donna Reinaker and her staff of volunteers ensured that all PA participants had a fun and educational experience. “I am a huge fan of LifeSmarts, and have told the Attorney General that LifeSmarts should be mandatory in high school,” said Brian Roche, consumer reporter for WGAL News 8, in his remarks as Question Master for part of the competition. “This stuff is going to stay with you for the rest of your life. This is why I come back every year.” Check out WGAL’s coverage of the competition here.

Linda William, Chief Deputy Attorney General and Director, was impressed by the breadth of knowledge required by teens in the program. “The questions are fantastic,” Williams said. “One question asked when you should discuss the possibility of a trade-in when buying a car. How great was that?”

As the Pennsylvania State Champions, the Dallas High School team and their coach, Kevin West, have earned the chance to represent their state at the LifeSmarts National Championship in Miami Beach, FL next month, competing against other state champion teams from across the country. We wish them luck, and look forward to seeing them in Miami Beach next month!

Little LifeSmarts!

LifeSmarts JV Coach Frances Lucas from Romig Middle School in Anchorage, Alaska, sent this photo of her team wearing the official 2010 LifeSmarts shirts they received for placing first in the online JV competition for their state.

Congratulations, Romig!

Palmer Panthers II takes Massachusetts title

Massachusetts State co-Coordinator Sharon St. Louis with the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston reports that the LifeSmarts State Competition held March 10 was very successful, with a total of 16 varsity teams and 3 Junior Varsity teams competing. The winning team from Palmer High School, coached by Helena Naglack, is pictured here. Congratulations!

Energy-packed state competition hosted in Richmond, VA

By Brandi Williams, LifeSmarts Program Assistant

With a format that closely resembles the National LifeSmarts Championship, the Virginia LifeSmarts Competition is a fast-paced, energy-packed event that is fun to both watch and be a part of. The Virginia LifeSmarts competition was held on March 5 in Richmond, just 100 miles away from the National Consumers League’s Washington, DC office. I kept my fingers crossed all the way there, in hopes that I’d brought along the right shoes – the Virginia LifeSmarts Coalition, which coordinates the state program, puts everyone to work!

Virginia LifeSmarts held its 15^th state competition at the Virginia Commonwealth University campus located in downtown Richmond. Hosting 11 teams and running up to five competition rooms simultaneously, Virginia’s competition was a busy one that required the combined efforts of coalition members and volunteers to run smoothly and effectively. The LifeSmarts Coalition, headed by Dr. Celia Hayhoe of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), recruited and coordinated more than 30 volunteers to officiate in competition rooms.

As each match increased in difficulty, the final round of competition was between George C. Marshall High School and Maggie Walker Governor’s School. Teams in the audience cheered these surviving two teams on, as they battled it out for the state title. At the end of a nail-biting match, the Maggie Walker Green Dragons eventually took the Virginia State Champion title.

Teams and officials were particularly excited to have the Honorable Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II, Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Virginia, officiate as Question Master for the final round of competition. General Cuccinelli was a natural first-time QM, making sure that the top two teams were at ease on the final match stage. Question Master for the semi-final rounds of competition was Assistant Attorney General Courtney Malveaux, a long-time supporter of LifeSmarts and regular volunteer official at the Virginia LifeSmarts competition.

Nail-biter LifeSmarts match in Minnesota comes down to final question

By Lisa Hertzberg, LifeSmarts Program Director

What an exciting day of competition in Minnesota! The Minnesota State LifeSmarts Competition came down to the final question, with Willow River leading Prior Lake by just 10 points. The final question was read in pin-dropping silence:

You recently purchased fuel at a gas station and believe you did not receive as much gas as the pump indicates. Who would investigate this?

A Willow River student buzzed in–but the answer given was incorrect. The question was re-read and a Prior Lake student buzzed in – with a chance to tie the match and send it to overtime – but also gave an incorrect answer.

The dramatic end to the competition made one thing certain: none of the students on stage or in the audience will ever put gas in their car again without remembering the correct answer (your state, county or local Department of Weights & Measures).

Willow River won the nail-biter 90-80 to repeat as state champions, moving through the double-elimination grid with its only loss to Prior Lake in the semi-finals. Congratulations to Willow River Coach Lois Johnson and her team!

In hosting the competition, State Coordinators Maili Frison and Barb Grieman were joined by a number of their fellow staff members from the Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota, including President Dana Badgerow, who congratulated all the teams and presented a $1,500 travel grant to the winning state champions to use towards getting to the national event in Miami.

Fifteen teams competed hard throughout the day and all teams are to be commended for the consumer smarts they demonstrated during the day-long event held at the Wilder Foundation in St. Paul, MN.

End of an era for Illinois LifeSmarts

By Lisa Hertzberg, LifeSmarts Program Director

I just returned from a very successful Illinois state LifeSmarts competition at West Chicago High School in West Chicago, Illinois, hosted by State Coordinator Don Zabelin at his home school. Zabelin coached the winning team that will represent Illinois in Miami Beach in just seven weeks! Before heading to Florida, the West Chicago 1 team members will be studying up on 529s, simple interest, and mattress flammability, but they had a very strong showing in all other areas and ran the table to go unbeaten in the double-elimination competition.

For years, Zabelin has always had a great group of volunteer competition officials representing organizations such as the IL AGO, FTC, IL Securities Commission, Money Management International, Bridgestone, and DeVry University. He makes time during the competition to allow students to hear from all of the officials, and Wally Kleinfeldt of the BBB had perhaps the most direct message of the day, encouraging the students to always do their homework as consumers before any major purchase: “You’ll be doing homework for the rest of your life.”

This competition marked the end of an era, as Zabelin passed the torch to Debra Bartman, who will take over the role of Illinois state coordinator this summer. We wish Don the best as he retires after 33 years of teaching – congratulations on a wonderful career! Don, stay in touch – and don’t forget to write several hundred LifeSmarts questions for us in your newly-found spare time!

Florida champs declared in Tampa

By Brandi Williams, LifeSmarts Program Assistant

There is nothing better than seeing LifeSmarts in action!

Not long ago, I had the opportunity to travel from the National Consumers League’s office in Washington, DC to attend the Florida state LifeSmarts competition in Tampa. As NCL staff prepares for the National LifeSmarts Championship in April, also to be held in the state of Florida, we are always excited when we have the chance to attend a state LifeSmarts competition and visit with our state partners.

The Florida LifeSmarts program, coordinated by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumers Affairs, hosted its 2010 state competition at the Florida State Fairgrounds on President’s Day, February 15, 2010. On a day where many students were out of school for the 3-day holiday weekend, 13 student teams from all over the large state of Florida were in attendance to compete for the title of LifeSmarts State Champion and to represent Florida at Nationals.

Teams traveled for five to six hours from far-away cities including Jacksonville and Freeport to showcase their dedication—to not just LifeSmarts, but also to consumer literacy—affirming their commitment to learning the necessary skills to be educated, savvy consumers in today’s changing marketplace. The rounds of competition were tough, culminating in a neck-and-neck battle between the reigning state champs, Seminole County 4-H team and Paxon SAS Varsity from the Paxon School for Advance Studies. While the match was close, Seminole 4-H once again took the title will be on their way to Miami in April.

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumers Affairs Commissioner Charles H. Bronson was there to cheer teams on. He also gave remarks and congratulations to all 13 teams in attendance, and presented the winning team and coaches with a check for $3,300 on behalf of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumers Affairs.

State Coordinator Gwen Worlds recalled how enthusiastic Commissioner Bronson was when he attended the 2008 LifeSmarts National Championship held in Orlando, FL. “He jumped up from his seat and cheered the Florida team on,” Worlds said. “It was encouraging to the Florida team.”

Congratulations to all teams at the Florida LifeSmarts Competition, and the best of luck to Seminole 4-H in Miami Beach in April!