Financial Literacy is what the Financial Education Center aims to teach high school students

Batesville, Arkansas – The banking experience is being introduced to Southside Charter High School’s hallways thanks to a partnership between Citizens Bank and the school.

Within the convenience of their own classroom, students can conduct actual financial transactions.

According to Annuity.org, 75% of youngsters are insecure about their understanding of personal finance.

“When you get into the real world, you don’t want to be deer in the headlights,” said Rhanda Fields, student banker with Citizens.

As part of their preparation for the Financial Educational Center, a group of student bankers has been enrolling in banking and finance classes.

“They can deposit into their accounts, they can make withdrawals, they can make loan payments, cash checks,” she said.

At the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, approximately ten kids were able to open accounts at the school; however, the student bankers will not be permitted to do so.

If they are customers of Citizens Bank, they will have access to various banking services.

Furthermore, according to Annuity, 73% of students said they would like to learn more about personal finance.

According to Fields, the student bankers will also be able to teach pupils about other financial topics that they might be reluctant to question an adult, such as fraud, credit scores, and writing checks.

“They just might be more comfortable chatting with a friend about it or someone that they know about it,” she said.

As the state’s first, the Southside Financial Educational Center should serve as a model for other educational institutions, according to Natalie Humphrey, a business teacher.

“We can teach them younger, it goes through the families, and it can just grow from there and this is generational,” she said.

In order to be prepared for this day, the student bankers at Southside Charter High School completed banking classes, and they stated they are prepared to make an impact.

“Having this bank is going to be easier in a way to educate other students,” Fields said.

The bank will be open from 10:15 a.m. to 10:55 a.m., Monday through Thursday.