MURFREESBORO, Tenn (WTVF) — Students at Blackman High School are getting a taste of adulthood, one financial decision at a time.
At a Reality Fair hosted in partnership with Redstone Federal Credit Union, students learned how to stretch a paycheck while covering everyday expenses.
Senior Stephen Nelson volunteered at the event and is a student bank teller. He said he already notices how his peers handle money.
"I see it with my friends who are spending their last two dollars on a cookie at the snack store," Nelson said.
Teacher Jeanette Noffsinger said the hands-on experience adds something a traditional classroom setting cannot.
"They learn these things in class, but this activity allows them hands on and they fight hard to stay under budget — and sometimes though it's a little tough," Noffsinger said.
Some stations at the fair illustrated how financial decisions can have lasting consequences. Students with low credit scores, for example, were limited in the types of vehicles they could afford.
"350? So 350 is a really bad credit score and because of that you can only get the sedan, SUV, or public transportation," a fair volunteer told one student.
Nelson said the lessons are ones his classmates should take seriously.
"Really start saving your money and building up for the future," Nelson said.
The Reality Fair is part of a broader financial education effort at Blackman High School. The school is also home to a Redstone Federal Credit Union branch that is run entirely by students during lunch. It was the first student-operated branch of its kind inside a Tennessee high school.
"We're trying to show them how budgeting works in the real world and how their actions can have consequences," Nelson said.
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