FCEE

2006 Recipients - Innovations: Special Students

First Place
Tools of the Trade
Byron Wilcox
Tracy McGrady/Luster-All Pastoral Care Center of Hope
Are the bears hibernating or are the bulls charging? Based on the Stock Market Challenge, Mr. Wilcox created a curriculum to help his highly ‘at risk’ students identify and prioritize their personal and financial goals, as well as create a plan to achieve those goals. These young men can now picture themselves with a successful and legitimate future. Thanks for giving them the tools to succeed!
Second Place
Budget Building
Ross Pegler
Royal Palm Exceptional Center
The goals of economic education are to produce productive workers, responsible citizens, effective decision makers and prudent consumers and investors. Mr. Pegler achieved these goals with the special education students in his classroom. Students individually chose an occupation, family size, salary and six categories of necessary monthly expenses to prepare their budget. This is a building that will stand the test of time!
Third Place
From Dairy Cows to the “Dairy Queen”
Frances McCrimmon
Academy at the Farm Charter School
In a school located on a farm in a rural area, the special needs students in Frances McCrimmon’s class learned about making choices, decisions, money, and production. While handicapped, these young people are learning to be as independent as possible through the critical thinking skills used in economics. You might say they’re moooving right ahead!

2005 Recipients Innovations: Special Students

First Place
Decisions, Decisions, What is a person to do?
Sandra Gerard
Riviera Middle School - Pinellas County

When you choose, you lose. This is a lesson learned well in Sandra Gerard’s classroom. First, she introduced the idea with popcorn. Then she tied it into the student of the American Revolution. These young people learned that for every choice they make, they must give up something else. Decisions, decisions. What is a person to do?

Second Place
Nickels for Nick
Sara Carroll
Fitzgerald Middle School - Pinellas County
Nickels for Nick sprang from the compassion Sara Carroll’s students felt for a classmate who had a leg amputated due to cancer. To assist his family in paying bills, they collected change from their schoolmates totaling almost $1,600. What a wonderful show of friendship!

Third Place
Economics 101 Bubble Factory
Melinda Covel
Pasco Elementary - Pasco County
I loved to blow bubbles as a kid - didn’t you? But who would think of using bubbles to teach economics? Melinda Covel did. Her students learned about scarcity, resources, supply and demand, and choice by participating in her Economics 101 Bubble Factory.
2006 Recipients Innovations: Grades K-5

First Place
Emulating Excellence: Exploring the Past, Examining the Present,
Energizing the Future of Economics
Fran Squires, M.Ed.
Pine View School
“If we want to earn more, we must learn more!” This quote from a third grade student in Dr. Squires’ classroom sums it up nicely! Studying the past, present and future of global trade, these young entrepreneurs put their knowledge to good use at a Bizarre Bazaar at their school. Their profits were split between an Indian orphanage and an American soldier in Iraq. Education is the answer!
Second Place
The Great Credit Card Crunch
Suzanne Battista
McMullen Booth Elementary School
Misuse of credit has become a national crisis. Mrs. Battista chose to address this situation head-on. Her students each received a ‘credit card’ along with a career card assigning a job, monthly net income and living expenses. Using these items and information as a basis, they made purchases, calculated interest and were required to budget enough money to pay off their cards. Hopefully, this will take the crunch out of their future credit use.

Third Place
Kids’ Golf Tournament
Ginger Francisco and Lorraine Vanderklok
Modesta Robbins Partnership
Kids can’t run a golf tournament. Or can they? With a school located on a golf course, Ms. Vanderklok and Ms. Francisco saw an opportunity to engage their students in real life learning. These youngsters organized and ran a tournament of 24 players. Math, reading and social studies concepts were all learned through planning the tournament. This experience was a hole in one!
Fourth Place
Gavel Goodie Bags, Inc.
Marsha Bergreen
Lake St. George Elementary
Order in the court!! Concern about poor decision-making skills inspired Marsha Bergreen to create her Gavel Goodie Bags, Inc. project. Using the Handy Dandy Guide to Economic Decisions enabled her students to propose plans and solve problems that arose. The profits made benefited the American Red Cross and their classroom library. The verdict on this project? A winner!

2005 Recipients Innovations: K-5

Grades K - 2
First Place
Kindernomics
Kathianne Leach
Highland Lakes Elementary - Pinellas County
Can you teach economics to kindergarten students? Absolutely! Ms. Leach used the idea of money earned for good behavior and Friday auctions to teach her little economists. Did they really learn the concepts? One parent reported that her daughter thanked her for performing such a nice service when she fixed her hair for school. Yep … I think they did!

Second Place
Hugs and Kisses
Shari Valencic-Ursel
Venice Elementary - Sarasota County
Valentine’s Day and chocolate. The perfect match. These students put together bags with a Hershey’s Kiss and a Hershey’s Hugh, sold them, and then delivered them on Valentine’s Day to lucky schoolmates. Also included in the bags were messages from the sender. What a sweet way to learn about economics!

Third Place
Show and Tell: A Lesson in Value
Teri Ragan
Garrison Jones Elementary - Pinellas County
What makes something valuable to one person and not another? These first grade students learned cost and value are two different things. Through the simple activity of show and tell, they were able to grasp the nuances of value. Someday, they will really understand the value of this lesson!

Grades 3 - 5
First Place
From Fallen Oaks to Angels
Marianne Cannizarro
Baldomero Lopez Elementary - Hillsborough County
Turning hardship into a teaching opportunity, Marianne used the devastation caused by hurricanes Charley and Frances to introduce economics to her students. Using discs cut from fallen trees, they created Hurricane Angel ornaments to sell. The front of the ornaments are decorated and on the back is a commemoration of this terrible hurricane season. These kids certainly found a silver lining!

Second Place
Sum It Up With Savings
Teri Overstreet
Jewett School of the Arts - Polk County
Did you know that the United States has one of the lowest rates of saving among industrialized nations? Terri Overstreet wanted her students to understand the importance of saving. As they are bombarded by advertisements encouraging spending on bigger and better things, her students now have the knowledge to resist temptation.

Third Place
Where Does All The Money Go?
Judith Ann Elam
Stephens Elementary - Polk County
Where does all the money go? Something I ask myself every day! The third graders in Ms. Elam’s reading class learned the answer. Starting with the story, Alexander Who Used to be Rich Last Sunday, she taught them the basics of personal finance. The students enjoyed the lessons saying they made them feel “big.” Don’t grow up too fast though, kids!

2006 Recipients Innovations: Grades 6-12

First Place
Credit and Teens
Deborah Dubendorff
George Jenkins High School

More students drop out of college due to debt – much of it from credit cards – than for any other reason. As the teacher of juniors in the high school medical elective series, Ms. Dubendorff knows it’s important for her students to learn the importance of using credit responsibly as they begin their careers. As a result of this unit, these young folks will look out for the health of their credit reports.

Second Place
Taking Care of Business: The World Investment Corporation
Beverly Ledbetter
Pasco High School
In Beverly Ledbetter’s class, there were no ninth grade World History students. Instead, the class contained economists, environmentalists, political analysts, human resource consultants, and project managers. In groups made up of these roles, these young business people delved deeply in to the international expansion of their company operations (World Investment Corporation). They definitely learned that taking care of business is no easy task!

Third Place
Counting Your Dollars
Sabrina McCartney
Carrollwood Day School
What does a teenager spend his or her money on? The students in Ms. McCartney’s classroom found out. Required to track all of their expenditures, these young people were surprised to see how much they wasted. They also learned the value of saving even small amounts of money. As they calculated the impact over a year’s time one student commented, “Oh, I get it now.” Ahhh … the payoff of a successful lesson.

Fourth Place
An Exercise in Preparing a Profitable Yet Ethical Job Estimate
William Orr
Pinellas Technical Education Center
Bill Orr was faced with a dilemma in his Marine Service Technician class at PTEC. How could he work flat rate codes into his program? A solution came in the form of a project. His students were required to make three job estimates on a customer’s boat engine using different options for repair. This was a real life experience that will help keep these future entrepreneurs afloat! Preparing one of these projects takes a lot of time and effort, sometimes a full semester or an entire school year.

2005 Recipients Innovations: Grades 6-12

Grades 6 - 8
First Place
Click, Clack, Moo: A Study of Unions
Amy Mezni
Madison Middle School - Brevard County
Cows who type? A duck that mediates negotiations? Chickens who go on strike? The story Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type was used to teach Mrs. Mezni’s 8th grade American History students about unions. They learned about the poor working conditions in the late 1800s and early 1900s that led to the establishment of unions and labor laws. What a creative way to use literature to teach economics!

Second Place
Craftonomics
Kathy Nawlin
Stewart Middle School - Pasco County
Students in Kathy Nawlin’s Agriscience class learned about supply and demand as they created items to sell. Divided into groups, they produced gourd birdhouses, wooden trivets cut in the shape of bread, hyperturf planters, and leaf-shaped birdbaths. This project was a real growing experience for these saplings.

Third Place
Operation Letter Drop
Jodi Johnson
RW Blake Academy - Polk County
The choice to join the military is a life-changing one. Operation Letter Drop was originally designed to encourage the young people in boot camp. However, Jodi Johnson saw the opportunity to turn her program into a lesson in economics. Her students looked at all that the recruits had given up - choices and opportunity costs.

Grades 9 - 12
First Place
Pirates! From the High Seas to High Tech!
Beverly Ledbetter
Pasco High School - Pasco County
Avast me hardies! There’s booty to be had! Bev Ledbetter compared piracy of yesteryear and the modern day to teach her students American history and economics. While the former pirates stole gold, today’s surf the Internet and steal intellectual properties. Copyright laws, business ethics, and free enterprise were examined in a heated debate between several factions heard by a “Senate Panel.” Be careful, maties, or ye might be forced to walk the plank!”

Second Place
Viking Branch Prepares Teens for a Real Future
Debbie Fischer
Northeast High School - Pinellas County
Students in Ms. Fischer’s class have a unique opportunity. Partnering with a real credit union, a branch was opened on the high school campus. It is staffed and managed entirely by students. Other schoolmates may open accounts with as little as five dollars. This is an awesome example of businesses and schools working together!

Third Place
Real Life - Simulated
Luke Wagner
BETA-Gibbs High School - Pinellas County
Wagnerville, a new town, has many jobs to fill. What job would you like? But wait, your grade point average determines what jobs you may apply for. You must first find a place to live, purchase groceries, find transportation - all on your salary. Welcome to Real Life … Simulated, a project that Luke Wagner created for his freshman students. Said one student, “I know I will use all of the things I learned in this project for the rest of my life.”

2006 Recipients Technovations: Special Students

First Place
Mix and Munch
Sara Carroll
Morgan Fitzgerald Middle School

“I think that for me, Mix & Munch has made me a better person, and it is something I will always remember.” This student in Sara Carroll’s class was part of an economic and entrepreneurial project that produced a delicious chocolaty confection and sold it. Starting with a Student Enterprise Bank loan, the profits were divided between the Humane Society and purchasing classroom supplies. Real-life learning, chocolate and fun. A recipe for success!

Second Place
Learning and Earning
Jackie Martin-Alghamdi
Highland Lakes Elementary School

The students in Ms. Alghamdi’s class got strung out this year. Or rather, they strung out lots of beads! By starting a jewelry making company, these Varying Exceptionalities students learned many mathematic skills along with economic concepts such as supply; demand; advertising; consumerism; production; and how to track inventory and profits. As one young entrepreneur put it, “Beads rock!!!”

Third Place
Show Me the Money
Connie Bassant and Lori Fraser
Paul B. Stephens ESC

What do you get when you cross six autistic children, two creative teachers, and money? Success! Lori Fraser and Connie Bassant work with severely autistic children. Their goal is to teach their students the skills that will help them reach their greatest potential and take a productive place in the community. They certainly enjoyed learning about money and becoming consumers at the local mall! Shop on!

2006 Recipients Technovations: K-5

First Place
How to Create a Business and Participate in
Circular Flow…The First Grade Way
Carolyn Bennett, Pamela Lofton & Teri Ragan
Garrison Jones Elementary
Domo arigato, to Ms. Bennett, Ms. Lofton, and Ms. Ragan for creatively teaching these first grade students about circular flow. After an exciting visit to a Japanese restaurant and receiving a donation of 2,000 chopsticks, they began production of their chopstick picture frames. Not only did they learn about their places in the economy as consumers and producers, but they also got to experience the culture of another country.

Second Place
Got Gas?
Jodi Johnson
R. W. Blake Academy
A balloon powered car? Maybe. This is one idea that Ms. Johnson’s students decided is the answer to our fuel demands. These young engineers were concerned about the impact that rising fuel prices were having on their families and fun. Using technology, they researched and created new modes of transportation that would use alternative fuel sources. Look out Ford and Toyota!

Third Place
Economic Principles of Abuela’s Weave
Kathy Walker
Pinellas County Schools
The Great American Teach-in gave Kathy Walker the opportunity to share her enthusiasm for economic education with two fifth grade classes. Using the book, Abuela’s Weave, she introduced the ideas of mass production and artisans. Some of the students worked in a production line and others were allowed to spend time completing just one item. Comparing and contrasting the two methods allowed students to understand the need for both avenues of production. A crafty way to sneak in learning!

2006 Recipients Technovations: 6-12

First Place
Oil’s Slippery Slope
Melissa Konkol
Gause Academy of Leadership and Applied Technology

How many gallons of gasoline does a barrel of oil make? Melissa Konkol’s students learned this and much more. Tracking oil prices, they saw the direct effect of demand on the supply of gas during natural and political world events. They also learned that part of the price they pay at the pump is from federal, state and local taxes that are used to repair and build roads. As a culminating activity, students produced educational brochures. They’re on the road to success now! Oh, and by the way, one 55 gallon barrel of oil makes about nineteen and a half gallons of gas.

Second Place
F.R.E.E. Fridays / Design a Life
Cynthia Reyes
Seven Springs Middle School

There’s no such thing as a free lunch – but there were F.R.E.E. Fridays in Ms. Reyes’ class. F.R.E.E. stands for “Financial Reward through Economic Education.” Her students designed a life for a fictional character who was an extension of his or herself. This person needed a job, a place to live, transportation and so forth. The students then shared this biography through oral, video or computer presentations. There’s no measuring the value of this F.R.E.E. project.

Third Place
Understanding Student Debt
Linda Robinson
Winter Haven High School

Fact: College students owe almost half of the nation’s $285 billion credit card debt. Linda Robinson was concerned about her students becoming part of this statistic. With the support of her administration, she conducted a “Managing Student Debt” workshop with guest speakers from the community. We owe her a debt of gratitude!

Fourth Place
A Little Bizz-ness
Lina McConnohie
Blake High School

There was quite a buzz in Lina McConnohie’s high school job-prep classroom this year. Her students started an embroidery shop for the school. Each student completed an application and interviewed for their position. With the real-life skills these young people learned, they will surely do well in the future.