MHS Personal Finance students finish one & two at state

       The Montezuma High School Personal Finance team of, from left: Makenna Johannes, Madison Van Zee, Alivia Cline and Camryn Brennan, captured a state championship at the National Personal Finance Competition on Wednesday, April 17 in Des Moines. The four seniors qualified to compete at the National Finals in Cleveland, Ohio on May 19-20.

        Montezuma High School had four teams compete in the Iowa finals of the National Personal Finance Competition on Wednesday, April 17 at the DMACC Urban Campus in Des Moines. All four teams qualified for the state finals by finishing top two in the Southeast Iowa region of the district test portion, completed in the fall or spring.
        "All 16 teams at the state finals were given a six-page case study that they had one hour to analyze before preparing a seven-minute group presentation in front of a panel of judges, analyzing the family's financial dynamics, preparing a budget, and providing solutions for each goal the family had, given the budget constraints," note Kevin Gartman, MHS Business teacher.
         Each team presented in one of two judging rooms, with the top two teams from each room advancing to a group of four that presented in front of all judges and all participants.
        "Each Montezuma team showcased their personal finance knowledge well, combined with strong public speaking skills," said Gartman.
      Two Montezuma groups were advanced to the finals, where both delivered excellent presentations in front of the full room. After long deliberation to rank the top four, Montezuma teams were named both State Champions as well as State Runner-Up.
      Out of 220 teams participating in each level of the competition, the four Montezuma teams finished as follows:
        1st- Makenna Johannes, Madison Van Zee, Alivia Cline, and Camryn Brennan
        2nd- Kaya Latcham, Cruz DeJong, Peyton Minner, and Jack Erselius
        5th- Alex Black, Garrett Watts, Briar Simpson, and Lars Taylor
        7th- Isabella Roorda, Lydia Singleton, Faith Ferry, and Karlee Knust
        As state champions, Montezuma advances to the National Finals, held in Cleveland, Ohio, on May 19-20.

      The Montezuma High School Personal Finance team of, from left: Kaya Latcham, Cruz DeJong, Peyton Minner and Jack Erselius, was one of four teams from Montezuma who competed at the National Personal Finance Competition on Wednesday, April 17 in Des Moines, bringing home a runner up award.

       Montezuma High School sent 16 students (four teams of four students) to the National Personal Finance Competition on Wednesday, April 17 in Des Moines. Two of the four teams finished first and second in the competition.