Gov. Bob McDonnell today announced the winners of the 2013 Governor’s Challenge in Economics and Personal Finance. Preliminary online rounds attracted 2,172 high school students from across Virginia, with 160 students qualifying for the day-long championship competition at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) on April 17 where the following teams prevailed:
Adam Smith Division (advanced economics)
1st place: Chantilly High School, Fairfax County; teacher: Joe Clement
Runner up: Freedom High School, Loudoun County; teacher: Philip Sessoms
David Ricardo Division (economics)
1st Place: Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Fairfax County; teacher: Haywood Torrence
Runner up: Clover Hill High School, Chesterfield County; teacher: Emmett Hickam
Personal Finance Division
1st Place: Western Albemarle High School, Albemarle County; teacher: Diana Bowen
Runner up: Henrico 4-H, Henrico County (home school); teacher: Karie Dawkins
“Virginia students must be equipped with effective money management skills and an understanding of how our ever-changing, fast-paced global economy works,” said Governor McDonnell. “The Governor’s Challenge allows students to put these critical skills into action. I congratulate all of the students who participated in today’s competition, and our teachers who worked to prepare our students for the Challenge. These students will leave the competition better prepared for success in the future.”
The Governor’s Challenge is conducted in partnership with the Virginia Council on Economic Education (VCEE), a nonprofit public-private partnership focused on enhancing economics and financial education in grades K-12. VCEE promotes the new economics and personal finance courses for high school students, in its second year of a four-year implementation period in which high school students must earn a credit in economics and personal finance before they graduate. The Governor’s Challenge is part of the Virginia High School Initiative designed to support teachers and school divisions with implementation of the new high school course.
“I want to congratulate our students’ on their exemplary performance and a job well done,” said Virginia Secretary of Education Laura Fornash. “It is clear these students will leave high school better prepared for the jobs of the 21st Century and be more effective consumers, savers, and investors.”
Thanks go to BCG Companies, Dominion Resources, and Virginia Credit Union who provided financial support to make the Governor’s Challenge possible.
To learn more about the Governor’s Challenge and other efforts to promote economic and financial education for Virginia’s students, visit http://www.education.virginia.
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