Over 80 Kindergarten through 12th grade educators submitted materials and lesson plans to showcase their efforts in teaching economic principles to Florida’s students.  Thirty outstanding educators were recognized for their innovation in teaching economics, free enterprise and financial literacy. The selection committee was overwhelmed by the quantity and quality of applications. Participating teachers won a variety of prizes for their extra efforts, and due to the generosity of Publix Super Markets Charities, every teacher in attendance and their guests enjoyed Cirque Du Soleil’s La Nouba.

The top honor of the day, the Charles Harper Economic Educator of the Year, is presented to a teacher who has contributed to improving economic education on a broader scale throughout their school or district. This year’s recipient was Dr. Antionette Wilcox from Polk County.  Dr. Wilcox has been a leader in economics and personal finance for 34 years and is a mentor and instructor to her peers. She has distinguished herself as an award winning teacher who has remained steadfast over the many years to providing economic education to her students.

The Florida Council on Economic Education wishes to congratulate all the outstanding educators who were in attendance at the 2012 Governor’s Awards. For a complete list of winners, please click here: http://www.fcee.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/GAP-2012-Winners.pdf.

The mission of the Florida Council on Economic Education is to prepare Florida’s young people for personal and financial success through educational programs in economics, the free enterprise system and personal financial literacy so that they become productive members of the workforce, responsible consumers and wise investors. The Florida Council on Economic Education is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is funded by leading corporations and individuals throughout the state. The Florida Council is an affiliate of the Council for Economic Education.

For more information please call Monica Pettiette, Director of Marketing and Outreach, at 813-289-8489.

Watch the winning video!

Winners Are:

Statewide Champions: Team Virtuosos:  Corinee Thomas, Gerald Djajaputra, Brian Callahan, Matthew Bleefeld, Jillian Herman Teacher: Tazeen Rashid  – Suncoast Community High School, Riviera Beach - Business Partner/Mentor: Jonathon Lowe, Predictive Consulting, LLC

2nd Place: Skynet: Raoul Dolcine, Christopher Basara, Melanie Gold, Hayle Henderson, Aleksandar Iricanin - Teacher: Tazeen Rashid  – Suncoast Community High School, Riviera Beach - Business Partner/Mentor: Jonathon Lowe, Predictive Consulting, LLC

3rd Place: BusyNest: Ellyn Snider, Brandon Thal, Andrew Santos, Elizabeth Oester, and Marisa Rosen - Teacher: Deb Carter – Spanish River High School, Boca Raton - Business Parnter/Mentor: Christina Morrison, Christina Morrison Pearce, P.A., CPM, CDPE

The FCEE is on the cutting edge of new ways to bring engaging lessons into the classroom. Together, with leading educators, ethicists, and business leaders, the FCEE has developed a unique interactive program that puts high school students on the front lines of a hypothetical business, where they have to make critical ethical and competitive business decisions.  After a series of lessons and classroom instruction, students were presented with a business case study, a dilemma, in which they made a series of key business and ethical decisions. Students learned from a breaking news story that a rocket crashed in a small Florida town and the destruction was economically devastating to the community. The dilemma was presented using Transmedia Storytelling, a technique of telling stories across multiple platforms and formats, which allows participants to become immersed in the story. Following the initial video, students received press releases, Facebook posts and Tweets from two characters, and ongoing news coverage as the story developed.

As in real life, the decisions the students made will have consequences for their business, themselves and their community. Students actually ‘role played’ through the process of resolving their companies’ ethical and business decisions on video. Those videos were judged by a panel of experts, and the top nine videos were on YouTube for students, teachers, schools, parents, and the entire community to vote for a statewide winner. Included on the YouTube page is the ‘Breaking News’ video that recaps the ethical dilemma that students were faced with and the second and third place winning videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/OwnYourCODE?feature=mhee

Initial funding was provided by John Sykes, founder of JHS Capital Advisors, a wealth management firm. “I’m very enthusiastic about this ‘hands-on’ approach to teaching business ethics. Kids learn best through doing”, said John Sykes. “If we don’t instill ethical behavior in them when they’re young, we run the risk of a wave of unethical behavior once they reach the workforce. The Florida Council on Economic Education is the best group I know to effectively reach students throughout the state”, Sykes added.

The mission of the Florida Council on Economic Education is to prepare Florida’s young people for personal and financial success through educational programs in economics, the free enterprise system and personal financial literacy so that they become productive members of the workforce, responsible consumers and wise investors. The Florida Council on Economic Education is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is funded by leading corporations and individuals throughout the state. The Florida Council is an affiliate of the Council for Economic Education.

For more information please call Monica Pettiette, Director of Marketing and Outreach, at 813-289-8489.

The FCEE is on the cutting edge of new ways to bring engaging lessons into the classroom. Together, with leading educators, ethicists, and business leaders, the FCEE has developed a unique interactive program that puts high school students on the front lines of a hypothetical business, where they have to make critical ethical and competitive business decisions. C.O.D.E. is a cross between Harvard Business School case studies, ‘Jeopardy’, and ‘YouTube’.

After a series of lessons and classroom instruction, students were presented with a business case study, a dilemma, in which they made a series of key business and ethical decisions. Students learned from a breaking news story that a rocket crashed in a small Florida town and the destruction was economically devastating to the community. The dilemma was presented using Transmedia Storytelling, a technique of telling stories across multiple platforms and formats, which allows participants to become immersed in the story. Following the initial video, students received press releases, Facebook posts and Tweets from two characters, and ongoing news coverage as the story developed. This cloud-based story engine manages all the characters and content, including plot developments, at pre-determined times or through specific keyword triggers by participants.

As in real life, the decisions the students made will have consequences for their business, themselves and their community. Students actually ‘role played’ through the process of resolving their companies’ ethical and business decisions on video. Out of 56 videos submitted from three Florida School Districts, our distinguished panel of judges has chosen three finalists in each of their three respective regions. Those videos were judged by a panel of experts, and now, the top videos are on YouTube for students, teachers, schools, parents, and the entire community to vote for a statewide winner. Included on the YouTube page is the ‘Breaking News’ video that recaps the ethical dilemma that students were faced with. http://www.youtube.com/user/OwnYourCODE?feature=mhee

Initial funding was provided by John Sykes, founder of JHS Capital Advisors, a wealth management firm. “I’m very enthusiastic about this ‘hands-on’ approach to teaching business ethics. Kids learn best through doing”, said John Sykes. “If we don’t instill ethical behavior in them when they’re young, we run the risk of a wave of unethical behavior once they reach the workforce. The Florida Council on Economic Education is the best group I know to effectively reach students throughout the state”, Sykes added.

The mission of the Florida Council on Economic Education is to prepare Florida’s young people for personal and financial success through educational programs in economics, the free enterprise system and personal financial literacy so that they become productive members of the workforce, responsible consumers and wise investors. The Florida Council on Economic Education is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is funded by leading corporations and individuals throughout the state. The Florida Council is an affiliate of the Council for Economic Education.

For more information please call Monica Pettiette, Director of Marketing and Outreach, at 813-289-8489.

(Tampa)- March 28, 2012- April is National Financial Literacy Month, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. According to a recent survey by CareerBuilder, 77 percent of American consumers are living paycheck to paycheck. Financial Literacy Month is the perfect opportunity for individuals and families to change their financial situation by learning about important financial matters like creating and managing a budget, paying down debt while saving for emergencies, and creating achievable financial goals.

The Florida Council on Economic Education (FCEE) is taking full advantage of this opportunity to spotlight financial literacy and help lead families down the path to financial freedom.  During Financial Literacy Month, the FCEE will distribute a special daily edition of our quarterly e-newsletter ‘Dollars and $ense’. The ‘Daily Dose of Dollars and $ense ’will be a brief tidbit related to financial literacy with links to informative lessons, tools and resources. “Our goal is to inform and encourage parents to talk to their kids about personal finance and the importance of financial literacy education,” said Robin Warren, Executive Director of the FCEE.

“Financial literacy is one of the most powerful tools we can give to the young people of Florida, equipping them to achieve financial stability and steer clear of debt and financial fraud,” said CFO and FCEE Board Member, Jeff Atwater. “I commend the commitment and progress that the Florida Council on Economic Education has made in improving the lives of Floridians through financial literacy with the help of dedicated parents and educators.”

For 35 years, the FCEE has trained thousands of Florida educators to teach students from Kindergarten through 12th grade to be financially savvy and to understand the underlying economic principles of personal financial management. The mission of the Florida Council on Economic Education is to prepare Florida’s young people for personal and financial success through educational programs in economics, the free enterprise system and personal financial literacy so that they become productive members of the workforce, responsible consumers and wise investors. The Florida Council on Economic Education is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is funded by leading corporations and individuals throughout the state. The Florida Council is an affiliate of the Council for Economic Education.

For more information please call Monica Pettiette, Director of Marketing and Outreach, at 813-289-8489.

 25^th Annual Tampa Bay Business Hall of Fame

(TAMPA) – March 7, 2012 – On Thursday, March 1, 2012, the Florida Council on Economic Education (FCEE) hosted nearly 800 guests at the 25^th Annual Tampa Bay Business Hall of Fame. The event raised awareness of the state of financial literacy and economic education in Florida and over $260,000 that will directly support the Tampa Bay area. Sponsored by Raymond James, KPMG and the Tampa Bay Business Journal, the night was a huge success on all fronts.  Because of the monumental occasion, event chairs Ron & Renée Vaughn, in collaboration with The University of Tampa, joined these event sponsors by making a $15,000 contribution. Proceeds from the Hall of Fame support the economic and financial literacy initiatives of the Florida Council on Economic Education.

The highlights of the evening included announcements about two new endeavors by the FCEE. The first announcement was the development of a new business ethics program, C.O.D.E., a Competition Of Decision-making with Ethics, designed for Florida’s high school students. C.O.D.E.  is currently being field tested this semester and will be available state wide in the 2012-2013 school year. The second major announcement was the launching of a new educational website, the Tampa Bay Business Hall of Fame Archive of Vision, Innovation and Inspiration. This site, set to go live in March, examines the history of Tampa Bay through the lives and accomplishments of members of the Hall of Fame.

Guests were also able to take home a copy of Financial Freedom to share with their families. This personal finance CD provides a road map to middle and high school students on how to navigate their personal finances. Financial Freedom is one of several resources offered free of charge to all Florida educators by the FCEE.

For a quarter of a century, the FCEE has celebrated the contributions and accomplishments of outstanding leaders in the Tampa Bay business community. The honor is bestowed upon individuals who have made significant contributions to the community through their business and civic achievements, and by serving as lifelong role models of integrity and high ideals. The 2012 Tampa Bay Business Hall of Fame Honorees were Stephen F. Dickey, M.D. of Dickey Holdings, Inc., Edward C. Droste of Hooters Restaurants & Provident Resorts Management, Cecil Stanford Harrell of The Harrell Corporation and Arthur F. Kirk, Jr. of Saint Leo University.

“It was gratifying to have such a great turnout for the silver anniversary of the Tampa Bay Business Hall of Fame. Not only was it a memorable, elegant evening, but the success of this event enables the Florida Council to do even more to carry out our mission of preparing Florida’s youth for personal and financial success through economic and financial literacy,” said Robin Warren, Executive Director of the FCEE.

Founded in 1975, the mission of the FCEE is to prepare Florida’s young people for personal and financial success through educational programs in economics, the free enterprise system and personal financial literacy so that they become productive members of the workforce, responsible consumers and wise investors. The FCEE is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is funded by leading corporations and individuals throughout the state. The Florida Council is affiliated with the Council for Economic Education, as part of a national network of state Councils and Economic Education Centers.

For more information, or to schedule an interview with members of the Class of 2012, please contact Monica Pettiette at 813-289-8489 or visit www.fcee.org.

The grant will be used specifically to sponsor both the 33^rd Annual Governor’s Awards for Excellence in Teaching Economics and the Florida Stock Market Challenge. Held each year in May, the Governor’s Awards program recognizes and rewards Florida’s most outstanding teachers for their creativity in presenting lessons in economics, personal finance and entrepreneurship. K-12 teachers submit applications showing how they’ve infused economic lessons into their classrooms.

Established more than 20 years ago, the Florida Stock Market Challenge gives K-12 students the opportunity to participate in an online investment simulation and manage a hypothetical $100,000 investment portfolio.  Students throughout the state compete for the best portfolio performance and are awarded prizes at the end of both the Fall and Spring semesters. This program is easily integrated into a variety of subject areas, including social studies, mathematics, and language art classes and is offered free of charge to all Florida teachers.

“The Florida Council is pleased that State Farm has chosen once again to play a significant role in these important programs for Florida’s teachers and students,” said Robin Warren, Executive Director of FCEE.  “Our partnership with champions of the business community, like State Farm, is vital to the success of our mission,” said Warren.

Chris Cummins, State Farm Zone Manager for Financial Services, remarked that “I am proud of our growing partnership with the Florida Council and the thousands of students that we have the opportunity impact through their great initiatives.  Our sponsorship speaks directly to themes that will help these young people in ways that perhaps are difficult to conceptualize at their age.  We feel that much of what the students learn will have impact throughout their lives and that is the most exciting thing about this partnership.  Themes of personal financial responsibility and economics will make these students stronger in whatever endeavor they ultimately choose to pursue and that is a wonderful thing.”

The mission of the Florida Council on Economic Education is to prepare Florida’s young people for personal and financial success through educational programs in economics, the free enterprise system and personal financial literacy so that they become productive members of the workforce, responsible consumers and wise investors. The Florida Council on Economic Education is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is funded by leading corporations and individuals throughout the state. The Florida Council is an affiliate of the Council for Economic Education.

State Farm and its’ affiliates are the largest provider of car insurance in the U.S. and is a leading insurer in Canada. In addition to providing auto insurance quotes, their 17,800 agents and more than 65,000 employees serve 81 million policies and accounts – more than 79 million auto, home, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is also available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 37 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com or in Canada http://www.statefarm.ca.

Click here to view our Annual Report!

Watch the FCEE Board Chair, Geoff Simon, video!

For a quarter of a century, the FCEE has celebrated the contributions and accomplishments of outstanding leaders in the Tampa Bay business community. The 2012 Tampa Bay Business Hall of Fame Inductees are:

Stephen F. Dickey, Dickey Holdings, Inc.
Edward F. Droste, Provident Resorts Management
Cecil Stanford Harrell, The Harrell Corporation
Arthur F. Kirk, St. Leo University

The 25th Annual Tampa Bay Business Hall of Fame event honoring this year’s inductees will be Thursday, March 1st, at the A La Carte Event Pavilion with a reception beginning at 6:00 p.m. This year’s inductees join an elite group of Florida’s business and community leaders. Sponsoring the event this year are Raymond James and KPMG.

The Florida Council on Economic Education created the Tampa Bay Business Hall of Fame to recognize individuals who have had exceptional careers in our six-county Tampa Bay area. The honor is bestowed upon individuals who have made significant contributions to the community through their business and civic achievements, and by serving as lifelong role models of integrity and high ideals.

Proceeds from the Hall of Fame support the economic and financial literacy initiatives of the Florida Council on Economic Education. Investing in our children’s education will pay lasting dividends in the development of Florida’s future business leaders and qualified workforce. Members of the Hall of Fame serve as inspirations to young people who will follow in their footsteps.

Founded in 1975, the mission of the Florida Council on Economic Education is to prepare Florida’s young people for personal and financial success through educational programs in economics, the free enterprise system and personal financial literacy so that they become productive members of the workforce, responsible consumers and wise investors.

The Florida Council on Economic Education is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is funded by leading corporations and individuals throughout the state. The Florida Council is affiliated with the Council for Economic Education, as part of a national network of state Councils and Economic Education Centers.