HHS students get ‘Reality Check’
Students gather around a station to “buy” a car on a budget during the Hartselle High School IRC’s Reality Check last week. The workshop was sponsored by the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services. IRC, High School 101, Personal Finance and transition students utilized this workshop. Most of the students who ran the booths were peer tutors or Tiger Buddies in high school.
Joy Harris
Hartselle Enquirer
The Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services brought a financial workshop to the students of Hartselle High School Friday, May 10.
The Reality Check workshop allowed students to practice living on a budget after being assigned a career and a salary. Students visited stations to invest in or “buy” cars, homes, insurance, clothing, electronics, entertainment, savings and charities. Expenses such as taxes and unexpected bills were also deducted from their monthly budget.
Participants had to visit every station and choose what to “buy” without running out of money. If the student went over their budget, they were sent to the Homeless corner.
This was the first time Reality Check had been hosted by HHS. Fifteen former HHS students volunteered to help run stations. Most of these students were peer tutors or Tiger Buddies in high school.
IRC, High School 101, Personal Finance and transition students utilized this workshop. LeeAnne Pettey, transition administrator for secondary schools at HHS, asked the Department of Rehabilitation to bring the workshop to Hartselle, so Hartselle students could participate.
“Financial skills are something all students need to know,” Pettey said. “Next year we hope to make the workshop last all day, allowing more classes to attend.”
Jasmin Bailey of the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services was glad to work with Hartselle on this event.
“Reality Check hopefully acts as a true reality check to the students, showing them they can’t always have the fanciest and the nicest of everything,” Bailey said. “This workshop teaches them to live within their means. This is something we need to stress, especially with the 17-year-olds nearing graduation.”
Brody Byrne was a student participant in Reality Check. His career assignment happened to be the career he hoped to have after high school: police officer.
“This exercise showed me that a police officer’s salary is less than I had expected,” Byrne said. “I’m glad I had the chance to practice this and see what expenses after high school might be like. I think this will definitely help me plan my future.”
