Katahdin Trust bankers teach sound savings habits to children

    Throughout the month of April, some lessons will be taught that are not part of the traditional classroom curriculum. That’s because several bankers from Katahdin Trust Company will engage a new role as they teach area school children the value of saving their money, as part of National Teach Children to Save Day on April 21.     Coordinated through the efforts of The American Bankers Association’s Educational Foundation, Teach Children to Save Day will place bankers in the classroom to assist teachers in educating youth on basic personal finance issues. 2009 marks the thirteenth year for this annual event.
    Materials used in the presentations support curriculum standards which have been established by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the National Council of Teachers of English and the Family and Consumer Sciences.
    “Many of life’s most important lessons are learned outside the walls of the classroom,” said Katahdin Trust Company Senior Vice President Vicki Smith, who oversees the bank’s efforts in the program. “Katahdin Trust Company employees are delighted to participate in conjunction with area teachers in helping children understand basic financial principles and the importance of a savings program, not just for today but for their futures. It’s a life lesson which will pay benefits for many years to come,” she added.
    According to Smith, the presentations include general discussions, games and hands-on activities including topics such as budgeting, making money grow, the importance of having a checking account and recognizing wants and needs.
    Twenty-seven Katahdin Trust Company employees will be reaching out to over 900 students across northern Maine. Employees participating and the schools they will be attending include: Julie Haney and Ann Ellis, Hilltop School in Caribou, kindergarten; Yancy LaPointe and Sherri Zbylut, Teague Park School in Caribou, third; Deb Cyr, Caribou Middle School, sixth; Paul Guimond, Caribou Middle School, seventh and the High School, ninth and tenth; Joe Clukey, Pine Street Elementary School in Presque Isle, first; Connie Heald, Washburn Elementary School; Danielle Brewer, Easton Elementary School, pre-K; Karen MacDonald, Ashland Central School, third; Crystal Parent, Eagle Lake Elementary, second; Allissa Given, Keith MacKenzie, Emily Hosford and Kathleen White, Katahdin Elementary School in Stacyville, third; Bradley Berthiaume, Katahdin Middle/High School in Stacyville, eighth; Nancy Clark, Fort Fairfield Elementary School, pre-K;  Tory Bradbury and Lisa Scovil, Fort Street Elementary School in Mars Hill, first; Krista Putnam, Houlton Elementary School, kindergarten; Annette Beaton, Houlton Elementary School, third; Lori Nadeau and Lisa Moore, Southern Aroostook Community School in Island Falls, third; Dave Madore and April Emery will be leading a tour of the Bank’s Van Buren office for the third grade class of the Gateway Elementary School in Van Buren; and Diane Green will be speaking at Girl Scout event GIFT (Girls Investing in Their Future Today) to be held at UMPI for fourth-and fifth-graders.
    The ABA Education Foundation is a non-profit subsidiary of the American Bankers Association. It was created to develop and provide educational programs leading to financial literacy. The National Teach Children to Save Day is conducted each April and is implemented on the heels of thousands of bankers nationwide investing time and effort in local classrooms to teach the importance of savings.