In-School Programs

Financial Football Tournament 2018

Financial Football is a high school program that provides financial education to students through interactive gameplay.

Each year, Suncoast hosts a Financial Football competition where high school students compete against each other for cash prizes. This year’s Financial Football Tournament was a major success!

How it works:

Up to 15 teams of students are divided into teams of four (based upon their schools) and get asked financial questions with various levels of difficulty. For each correct answer, the teams earn points. The team with the most points at the end of the tournament are named winners and get their school’s name on the coveted Financial Football trophy.

2018 Financial Football Winners

We’re so proud of the winning teams from the 2018 Financial Football tournament! These students worked hard and showed an impressive amount of financial knowledge.

First Place Winners — Brandon High School

Suncoast’s Youth Outreach Specialist, Chelsey Castellano and Chief Administrative Officer, Gary Vien were proud to award first prize to the team from Brandon High School.

Pictured, from left to right: Chelsey Castellano, Marcus Vega, Victoria Harman, Andrew Mohamed, Joseph Shand and Gary Vien. 

Second Place Winners — Chamberlain High School

The Chamberlain High School team got second place in the 2018 tournament.

Pictured, from left to right: Chelsey Castellano, Blake Burleson, Emilee Lopez, Dylan Niner, Heidy Mendoza and Gary Vien. 

Third Place Winners — Jefferson High School

Third place was awarded to Jefferson High School’s team.

Pictured, from left to right: Chelsey Castellano, Litzy Olivares, Leyliana Greer Ezequiel Feliciano, Greyling Wall and Gary Vien. 

Student Run Branches

Suncoast Credit Union operates student run branches on middle and high school premises. Students staff these scaled down credit union branches, accepting applications and deposits from students and staff members while also learning financial education. Suncoast employees and the student branch staff work together to spread credit union awareness to other students through various campaigns and seminars - all led by the students. Students gain skills and understanding that not only enhance their résumés but give them a competitive edge when applying for jobs and college. During the 2014-2015 school year, the Student Run Branch Program provided financial education for K-12 students in 38 schools across seven counties

Suncoast Credit Union has expanded the Student Run Branch program to include an elementary school component that focuses on teaching kindergarten to 5th grade students the importance of saving. Students are able to make a deposit into their savings account once a week at their elementary student run branch. Students receive an extra $5 in their savings account after they make 10 deposits at their student run branch.

EverFi

Suncoast Credit Union partners with EverFi, an online education provider, to bring financial literacy into local schools within the communities we serve. Nearly 30 schools are actively participating in this financial literacy program and a number of other schools are in the process of training their educators on how to implement the program into their classrooms.

Our program has already impacted more than 5,700 students and will reach thousands more in the years to come. For elementary school students, this e-learning program introduces concepts like savings and how to make responsible financial decisions. For high school students, the program incorporates financial concepts that young adults need to know, like budgeting and saving for college.

Students learn about money in a fun, interactive way through the generous support of Suncoast Credit Union. Suncoast is proud to impact the youth in our communities and bring such important education into our local classrooms.

Life Fast Forward

Life Fast Forward is a reality fair game, created by Suncoast Credit Union, to teach financial literacy to middle and high school students. During the game, students engage in a hands-on, real-life financial simulation that introduces them to the realities of being a financially responsible young adult (between 23-30 years old). This program stresses the importance of budgeting, prioritizing, making smart spending decisions and saving money. Students gain valuable experience paying bills and making daily financial decisions that are essential to being a responsible adult. This game is intended for groups larger than 60 students and requires volunteers from the school.

Key objectives of the game:

• Illustrate how daily spending decisions affect overall life situations
• Better understand how education affects future salary goals
• Provide a hands-on experience that demonstrates the importance of budgeting and saving money
• Provide an opportunity for dialogue between students and the career professionals
• Understand the differences between a bank and a credit union