Adirondack Trust Company Partnership with Banzai Educates Hundreds in 2018-’19
Saratoga Springs, New York—Since 2017, Adirondack Trust Company has partnered with Banzai to bring Banzai Junior and Banzai Teen Financial Literacy Courses to local students at no cost to schools or taxpayers. Teachers work Banzai courses into math or personal financial classes for engaging and exciting choose-your-own adventure work that helps students tackle real-life financial situations. Banzai gives students the opportunity to independently make decisions and learn through digital trial-and-error before making those real-life financial decisions.
The impact of Adirondack Trust’s Banzai Financial Literacy Courses in schools is far-reaching for the 2018-’19 school year:
- 660 students participated
- 13 schools and 26 teachers were enrolled
- 161 hours spent engaged in the online curriculum, in addition to offline class lecture time
- Average scores improved from 66% on pre-assessment to 84% on post-assessment
“As a community bank, we recognize that the kids in our local schools today are the people who will uphold our community values tomorrow,” ATC Executive Vice President Charles V. Wait, Jr. said. “These are the people who will be enhancing our community by supporting our local nonprofits, serving on boards, and running businesses. It’s our belief and our wish that a solid financial education will set them on the right path for life.”
Banzai’s curriculum includes topics such as building credit, borrowing, budgeting, spending, setting goals, and so much more that is applicable and relevant to everyday life.
“Financial literacy and making decisions about money is just one of the many things kids should learn before they leave high school, and they don’t,” Mechanicville City School District Teacher Eileen Collins said. “This program has meaning, and students may find it difficult at first, then very rewarding.”
Another educator noted that students who received low scores on the post-assessment took initiative to re-take for a higher grade.
“This is the type of educational excitement I appreciate,” said Elizabeth Morris, MS Family and Consumer Sciences teacher at Saratoga Springs High School, another Banzai school.
Local educators who are interested in bringing the Banzai program to their school at no cost, may visit TeachBanzai.com to learn more about the program and to sign up.
Banzai is an award-winning platform for teaching financial literacy to people of all ages. It is used by 50,000 teachers throughout the United States and has educated nearly 2 million K-12 students since 2008.
The Adirondack Trust Company is an independent, locally owned and operated, community bank offering a wide variety of business and personal financial services. The bank has more than $1 billion in assets and 13 branch offices. The bank offers banking, trust, insurance, and wealth-management services, and originates real estate mortgages, both residential and commercial, and commercial business loans throughout its primary market area. The bank is a Bauer 5-Star Rated Superior bank. The bank’s website is AdirondackTrust.com.
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Adirondack Trust Company
473 Broadway
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
(518) 584-5844
AdirondackTrust.com