For Immediate Release

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net

Melrose High School Economics Team Wins First Place at Area Competition

MELROSE — Principal Marianne Farrell is pleased to announce that the Melrose High School Economics Team took the first place title in the debut of the Econ Showdown — a regional high school competition sponsored by the Learning Economics and Finance (LEAF) Network.

The Showdown, the only competition of its kind in the state, was hosted by Wachusett Regional High School in Holden on April 12. Students answered rigorous questions on both macro and microeconomics through written exams, trivia and a quiz-bowl-style competition.

In the final quiz-bowl round, Melrose High School beat Belmont High School to take home first place overall in the competition.

Over 60 students and 15 teams competed, representing schools from across Massachusetts. In a separate competition at Showdown, named after economist Alfred Marshall, students participated in a critical-thinking round that required them to use economic theory to offer policy recommendations for the county of Estonia as it endured a financial crisis. Two Melrose teams tied for second place in this competition, boosting their overall score.

“The students really showed their knowledge of economic concepts and their ability to apply them in a real-world setting,” said Bryan Corrigan, director of social studies at MHS and the team’s coach. “I am so proud of all of our competitors. They did great and had a lot of fun.”

About The LEAF Network:

The LEAF Network is an organization of teachers, academics, and business professionals working together to improve economic and personal finance education in the state. LEAF members are guided by the shared belief that today’s students need to learn personal finance and economics to become productive members of tomorrow’s global workforce. Since its inception in 2014, the LEAF Network’s programs have reached more than 10,000 students.

Additional sponsors of the 2016 Econ Showdown included the Leominster Credit Union, the Specialty Sandwich Co., and participating schools.

###