The Mt. Greylock business department put on the Credit for Life Fair on Wednesday, December 2. It provided an opportunity for students to learn about finances. Senior Austan Quagliano reported that the fair was meant to “help the underclassmen get a grasp of what life’s going to be like financially and what they have to look forward to after high school.” Upperclassmen business students wore their red Credit for Life Fair t-shirts, designed by senior Tyler Rathbun. The fair received its funding from a $5000 grant by the Financial Education Innovation Fund written by coordinator and business teacher Lisa Mendel last June.

According to Mendel, a lot of alumni came back and set up booths to talk about their experiences. Many booths around the bustling cafeteria had different themes to provide different perspectives, lessons, and examples of financial responsibility. Greylock PE and health teacher Ray Miro’s stand focused on the finances of food and nutrition. Miro said, “I had a real good time. It made me think a little more about budget having to explain it to the kids.” He explains that since junk food costs less than healthy food, there’s an important decision to be made between healthy and cheap.

Mendel decided to coordinate the event for the ninth graders because of their “team approach,” so scheduling was a breeze. Freshman Margo Smith commented that the fair helped her understand “about learning to budget and making sure you don’t overspend based on your salary.”
Mendel reports that “the groundwork has been laid and we’ve been through it once,” so next year things will run more smoothly.