Nipmuc Regional High School holds Credit for Life, Receives $3,100 Grant for Next Fair

Students at Nipmuc Regional High School have participated in the 2024 Credit for Life – a fair where they are taught financial literacy skills – and the school has received a $3,100 grant to host the fair next year.

At the fair on Jan. 23, students were organized into groups of six; attended presentations of five to seven minutes in duration by representatives of businesses within the community; and, completed an assessment based on what they learned.

Participating businesses and their representatives include:

• UniBank – Joseph Vettese
• Dean Bank – Michael Carroll & Chloe Reeve
• Lincoln Investments – Michael Hourigan
• ERA Key Realty – David Glasberg
• Custom Home Realty – Naomi Vogt
• Charles River Bank – Ann Sherry & Michael Comalli

The fair was held in the gym and resembled a Monopoly board, with students being positioned in the middle, and representatives being positioned at stalls surrounding the students.

The theme of the fair was “Chance and Financial Advance.”

Each business was also assigned a competency according to the “Portrait of a Learner” profile of the Mendon-Upton Regional School District, which include being a solution seeker, inspired innovator, mindful learner, global citizen, skillful collaborator, and an effective communicator.

The fair was organized by senior students Aidan Bandstra, Joseph Fraser, and Brayden Kelly as part of their DECA projects.

Joseph Fraser, Grade 12, welcomed the opportunity to help organize the fair saying that, “Being financially literate is super important in today’s world. Unfortunately, its importance is not emphasized enough, and many students leave high school without obtaining the adequate knowledge to succeed financially on their own. We hope that our fair plays a role in changing that and that students were able to take something away.”

Nipmuc Regional High School was also recently awarded a $3,100 grant to host the 2025 Credit for Life.

The Financial Education Fund Grant is delivered by the State Treasurer’s Office of Economic Empowerment, in partnership with the Division of Banks and the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business.

This year, the grant has been awarded to 59 schools, totaling $223,548.

Superintendent Maureen Cohen welcomed the award, saying that, “Literacy isn’t just about reading and writing printed information. It also involves digital and financial literacy. Being able to navigate an app or a website and knowing which phone plan is best for you are just as important as understanding the instructions on an assignment. That is why the district is moving toward a multiliteracies model.”

Superintendent Cohen wishes to thank faculty and staff who worked on the Fair, and local businesses who supported it.

“High school students deserve the opportunity to learn the financial skills they will need for every situation encountered throughout their lives,” said State Treasurer Deborah B. Goldberg. “Credit for Life Fairs gives these young adults the opportunity to experience real world scenarios that help prepare them in making informed decisions as they approach graduation and beyond.”

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