Pinnacle Bank provides local schools with Financial Literacy Program

Originally posted on Azlenews.net

Local students are getting a free education on how to manage their money.

Pinnacle Bank is working with Banzai, a web-based and national award-winning financial literacy pro- gram, to make an online, remote-friendly curriculum available to 80 schools, including Azle and Spring- town.

“Kids get their own ac- counts, and they work through assignments that are based on real life.” Morgan Vandagriff, co-founder of Banzai, said. “But be- cause Pinnacle Bank is sponsoring it, local schools get it for free. More than ever, it’s important for kids to develop sound financial skills to prepare them for the real world, and Pinnacle Bank realizes that and they’re doing something about it.”

Banzai is an interactive, online program supplemented by printed work- books and aligns with several states including Texas, state curriculum requirements for personal finance education. The course work can be completed on any internet enabled computer or mobile device, and teachers are able to monitor student progress remotely. It has become the largest program of it’s kind, servicing more than 60,000 teachers nationwide.

“Thank you so much for taking the time to provide the this resource for my students! We enjoy using this program every year and we are thankful to have a bank to sponsor for us.” Whitney Baker from Webb City High School, said.

Pinnacle Bank has offered time, money, industry experience, and a variety of bank resources to help local schools teach personal finance in the classroom.

Students using the program are exposed to real-life scenarios where they learn to pay bills and balance a budget, and it’s not always easy. Students must learn to manage unexpected expenses such as parking tickets, interest charges and overdraft fees. The educational program also introduces students to auto loans, bank statements, entertainment costs, savings and more.

Teachers interested in using the Banzai program can visit pinnbank.teachbanzai.com or call 888-822-6924.