Montezuma teams to participate in the Iowa Personal Finance and State Economics Challenges on April 17

​       Montezuma sent a team to compete in the State Economics Challenge last fall. This is the first time Montezuma students have competed in the economics challenge. Pictured are the first place team who earned a trip to state on April 17. They are, from left: Jadyn Sharer, Alivia Cline, Madison Van Zee and Cruz DeJong.

By J.O. Parker
 
     Montezuma High School will be well represented at the Iowa Personal Finance and State Economics Challenge state competitions on Wednesday, April 17 in Des Moines.
      Four teams qualified for the trip to state in on-line competitions held in the fall of 2023 and most recently in the spring of 2024.
       Lydia Singleton, Faith Ferry, Izzy Roorda and Karlee Knust finished first overall in the Southeast Iowa Region spring competition with Garrett Watts, Alex Black, Briar Simpson and Lars Taylor placing second in the competition.
    Jack Erselius, Kaya Latcham, Cruz De Jong and Peyton Minner earned top honors in the Southeast Iowa Region fall competition with Makenna Johannes, Madison Van Zee, Alivia Cline and Camryn Brennan bringing home second place honors in the fall.
       All four teams earned cash prizes and are among 16 teams from across the state to compete in the Personal Finance Challenge in Des Moines later this month.
      And for the first time, Montezuma had a team compete in the State Economics Challenge last fall with the four member team of Jadyn Sharer, Alivia Cline, Madison Van Zee and Cruz DeJong finishing first in the semifinal competition and advancing to state this month.
      In addition, two Montezuma Junior High teams finished first and second at the regional competition last fall. The first place team consisted of Isaish Wilson, Gavin Wilcox, Nicholas Damon and Henry Drake. Finishing second on the Montezuma junior high level at regionals was Abbi Henkle, Olivia Latcham, Lauryn Larmore and Sophia Semprini.
        Unlike their high school counterparts, at the junior high level there is no additional state-level competition, just the regional competition.
        Each year, the Iowa Jump$tart Coalition, with support from the National Council for Economic Education, hosts the Iowa Personal Finance Challenge in the fall and spring. The challenge is an opportunity for students to demonstrate their knowledge of personal finance by connecting with other students from across the state in an online competition. At the initial level, teams of four students complete individual 30-question online exams covering principles of personal finance including money management, credit, investing, and insurance. Students have 35 minutes to complete the online exam.
      The top four teams from each of the four regions (northwest, northeast, southwest and southeast) in the semifinal testing portion, once in the fall and again in the spring, advance to the live state finals competition. There will be a total of 16 teams at the state competition.
        State finalists are assigned a fictional case-study with time to prepare a presentation sharing their recommendations for the fictional client before a panel of judges including economists, business leaders and financial professionals. 
      The winning team in the state finals will advance to the National Finals in Cleveland, Ohio, competing for a substantial cash prize.
        This is the third year a Montezuma team has competed in the state competition and business teacher Kevin Gartman said he and the students are excited for the opportunity to showcase their talents again this year.
       Personal Finance has been a required class for graduation at Montezuma for four years, and three years ago, Gartman created a Personal Finance 2 class to allow for a deeper dive into these real-life topics. Personal Finance is also taught as an eighth grade semester-long elective class to give students some base knowledge prior to their junior and senior years of high school.
     Gartman said he’s really proud of how Montezuma Schools has made personal finance education a priority for students.
      “Not only do they have the opportunity to have three classes focused solely on personal finance prior to graduation, but they have the chance to take their knowledge and apply it through competition teams like these young people have this school year,” noted Gartman. “From the school board and administration, to the students and their parents, everyone seems to really grasp how important learning about topics such as investing, taxes, budgeting, banking, insurance and credit are. We've been ahead of the curve, both statewide and nationally, with the steps we're taking to prepare students for life after Montezuma High School. For that, I'm proud.”

        Pictured are, from left, Lydia Singleton, Faith Ferry, Izzy Roorda and Karlee Knust, who finished first overall in the southeast district of the Iowa Personal Finance Challenge on-line competition. The four young ladies will join three other teams from Montezuma at the state competition in Des Moines on Wednesday, April 17.

         Pictured are, from left, Briar Simpson, Lars Taylor, Garrett Watts and Alex Black, who finished second overall in the southeast district of the Iowa Personal Finance Challenge on-line competition this spring. The four young men will join three other teams from Montezuma at the state competition in Des Moines on Wednesday, April 17.

       Pictured are, from left: Cruz DeJong, Kaya Latcham, Jack Erselius and Peyton Minner, who placed first in the Southeast Iowa Region of the Iowa Personal Finance Challenge during the fall competition. They will compete at the state level on April 17.

      Pictured are, from left: Alivia Cline, Madison Van Zee, Makenna Johannes and Camryn Brennan, who brought home second place honors at the the southeast district of the Iowa Personal Finance Challenge on-line competition last fall. The team will represent Montezuma at the state competition on April 17.

​      Montezuma Junior High had two teams compete in the regional competition of the Iowa Personal Finance Challenge last fall, winning first and second place. The first place team consisted of, from left: Isaish Wilson, Gavin Wilcox, Nicholas Damon and Henry Drake.

​        The Montezuma Junior High team of, from left: Abbi Henkle, Olivia Latcham, Lauryn Larmore and Sophia Semprini, placed second in the regional competition of the Iowa Personal Finance Challenge last fall.