The Dime Bank Contributes to The Stock Market Challenge The Dime Bank recently contributed $9,000.00 to the nonprofit Brighter Financial Futures (dba PennCFL). This donation, which was made through the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) Program, supports local schools in the sponsorship of The Stock Market Challenge. The Stock Market Challenge is a web-based stock simulation platform and curriculum. Students can learn how to trade all year long by using the whole curriculum, courses, and more, including six ten-week competitions. The competitions are held in the classroom, by county and state-wide. The Stock Market Challenge recently announced that Henry Reichman finished in first place in the Middle School Division for Wayne and Pike County and in the top ten of the Statewide Middle School Division. He is a seventh-grade student at Wallenpaupack Area School District and worked under the leadership of Mrs. Argyro Paspalas. President and Chief Executive Officer Peter Bochnovich commented, “We feel it is very worthwhile for students to gain a greater understanding of the world of finance. It provides them with a foundation for their future success. It is our hope that all of the eligible schools will continue to participate in and take advantage of this learning opportunity.”
Johnson College to Welcome More Students Back to Campus Johnson College will welcome more students back to campus for in-person classes and labs for the 2021-22 academic year starting with its summer session on June 28, 2021. Through its enhanced course offerings, the College is committed to delivering its mission of providing students with real-world, hands-on learning in a caring and safe environment. Students will be able to choose either in-person or virtual classes for their general education and program theory courses, which have only been offered virtually since March 2020. Labs and lab-related coursework will continue to be delivered in-person, on the Johnson College campus, or at one of our industry partner lab locations. CDC guidelines will be adhered to at all locations. Throughout the 2021-2022 academic year, Johnson College will continue to: Divide campus by zones to ensure contact tracing. Masks will be provided and social distancing guidelines enforced.The Facilities Department is following all CDC cleaning guidelines for the campus.The student Café will not operate as normal. Students will be allowed to bring their food and use the dining area. Tables and chairs will be set up within social distancing guidelines. “Grab and go” items will be available to students as well.Congregating and events will be limited.Housing will not be available for the foreseeable future. Students who need housing should contact the Office of Student Engagement for other options. This plan is subject to change pending guidelines set forth by local, state, and national government officials and appropriate health agencies. “As we move forward from this past academic year, the Johnson College community is thrilled to be able to welcome our students, some for the first time, back on campus, with even more flexible options for their education,” said Dr. Katie Leonard, President & CEO, Johnson College. For additional information on Johnson College, please call 1-800-2-WE-WORK, email enroll@johnson.edu, or visit Johnson.edu.
Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week – Preparing tomorrow’s workforce! For years we’ve supported a program that arms high school students with the tools to be our next great employees – Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week (PFEW). PFEW brings together students and businesspeople for a powerful hands-on learning experience where students are immersed in the exciting world of modern business and free enterprise. The goal is to properly prepare our young people for the demands of the 21st century workforce. At PFEW, students make the same decisions real executives make as they run a simulated manufacturing company. Each team is paired with a volunteer business mentor who imparts invaluable real-world perspective as they explore all facets of business operations and develop the skills that today’s employers seek. Teams are responsible for two judged presentations where they must demonstrate in-depth knowledge of all facets of business operations. The week is highlighted by Speakers delivering inspiring messages directed at the students’ personal and professional development. An ethics case study, other business-related activities and the college experience round out this exciting week. Since 1979, more than 46,000 young Pennsylvanians and countless PA companies have benefitted from this unique program. There’s no more urgent work than preparing our young people for careers in our community, but why PFEW? In the words of 2019 PFEW graduate Brina Cartagenova: “This week at PFEW will resonate with me for years to come, for it is an eye-opening experience for Pennsylvania youth. Arriving as wide-eyed, eager children and leaving as empowered, confident leaders, PFEW students go through an academic cultivation like no other.” Brina describes PFEW perfectly – cultivating our next great generation of empowered, confident leaders. No other model educates students like PFEW, and that’s why we proudly support it. Every student attends PFEW on a fully tax-deductible $625 sponsorship donated by a business, foundation, organization or individual, but real value of PFEW is immeasurable. I encourage you to provide these vital sponsorships for our local students and, if possible, volunteers for the sessions. FFEE is an approved Educational Improvement Organization through the PA Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program, and all programs are eligible to receive EITC funding. FFEE offers two additional programs that prepare students for success and provide incredible value to our young people and our business community. The Stock Market GameTM (SMG) teaches students in grades 4-12 about investing and financial literacy, and the Speaker Series helps students explore careers and fulfill state mandated Career, Education and Work (CEW) standards. All Foundation programs have one goal in mind – preparing our young people for successful careers in Pennsylvania. If you would like to learn more about PFEW or their other educational offerings, please visit the Foundation’s website, www.pfew.org, or contact Scott Lee, vice president of marketing & development for the Foundation for Free Enterprise Education at (814) 833-9576 ext. 8, or scott@pfew.org.
The Dime Bank Donated $8,000 to Support Students of Pike & Wayne County The Dime Bank donated $8,000.00 through the Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program to the Pennsylvania Council on Financial Literacy (PennCFL). PennCFL provides to all students in grades 3-12 in Pennsylvania a world-class, web-based stock simulation platform and curriculum. Students can learn how to trade all year long by using the whole curriculum, courses, and more, including two ten-week competitions. The competitions are held in the classroom, by county and state-wide. The platform provides lessons, assignments, and grading for seamless teacher management. The cutting-edge, real-time stock game is derived from Stock-Trak’s University Platform, which is used in over 80% of the top business schools in the United States. Teachers and students get access to our extensive experiential education teaching and learning tool designed by Stock-Trak, the world’s leading provider of investment portfolio simulations for colleges and schools. It offers an entire standards-aligned curriculum library and a distance learning-optimized lesson plan database which includes a Google Slides presentation library, teacher training webinars, a student video library, a full personal finance course and a teacher’s dashboard for student assignments, progress reports, and grading. PennCFL President Alan W. Dakey stated “Thank you for again supporting the Wayne Pike Stock Market Program and for increasing your support. The Dime Bank was one of our early sponsors when we were first getting started a few years ago, and your support was a great help in getting us launched in our early years. During the past school year over 20,000 students participated in our financial literacy programs and we have dramatically expanded our online resources particularly in light of the pandemic. Thank you for being one of our founding sponsors.”