School of Economics

Prime day is today and tomorrow! You can support SOE by signing up for AmazonSmiles and selecting School of Economics as your preferred charity. Shop at smile.amazon.com or with AmazonSmile ON in the Amazon app, and AmazonSmile will donate to us at no cost to you.

CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS: With plans in full swing to open SOE at Blue Springs and SOE at UMB we will have plenty of volunteer slots to fill come October! Give back to the students in our community and help 4th-6th graders learn and apply financial skills during a 4-hour marketplace simulation. It's so much fun! To sign up and be the first notified of available slots, pleas visit https://schoolofecon.org/become-a-volunteer/

EXCITING NEWS AT SOE: We are thrilled to announce that SOE will be welcoming Students and Teachers back into our two learning facilities starting October 1st. We can't wait to see everyone. We have missed you all so much! Click here to reserve your spot: https://schoolofecon.org/reserve-your-spot/

It was great to have our board together for the first time in a year and a half! Big things coming for the 2021-2022 school year! Thank you to our board for their continued dedication to making finance fun for our students.

Another group of students had fun participating in the SOE Market Drop Off program! Read what the 6th grade students at Gloria Willis Middle School had to say about their experience: I learned that running a business can be hard sometimes but you can process through it all. I learned how to work as a team, even if we disagree. I learned that it easier to work with people if you have a good team together.

5th grade students at Summit Pointe Elementary enjoyed the SOE Market Drop Off program! Thank you Mr. Johnson for partnering with SOE to make Finance Fun for your students!

Going to stop at Hy-Vee for all your Memorial Day weekend essentials? Don't forget to purchase a "My Heart" Reusable Bag! This is the last weekend SOE will receive a $1 from every bag sold at the Hy-Vee at 625 West Highway 40 in Blue Springs, MO.

School of Economics is excited to be offering a drop off program so students can experience some of the SOE fun in their classrooms. We miss having students and teachers in our facilities and can't wait to welcome everyone back!

SOE Executive Director, Jamie Batschke, had a wonderful meeting with City of Blue Springs, Missouri - Municipal Government Mayor Carson Ross! SOE is incredibly grateful for the support the City of Blue Springs has shown us throughout the years. We look forward to you joining us for our grand re-opening Mayor Ross!

Board Member Spotlight! Meet Zack Geurin from UMB Bank: "I first became interested in SOE through volunteer activities and experience with Junior Achievement. As a career banker with an emphasis on consumer credit and finance, I realized early on the gaps between the classroom and economics at the street level. I have been with UMB Bank 15 years, all of which have been spent in Consumer Credit. In my role as Consumer Lending Director, I oversee the underwriting and loss mi...tigation teams that are responsible for decisioning credit requests, servicing loans , managing portfolios, and collecting debt. I value the curriculum and the hands on reality of the programs offered by SOE. I believe it is essential for today’s youth to be inside economics with exposure to lending, running a business, interviewing, paying taxes, paying rent, and budgeting. As the son of a retired teacher and a retired banker, I was fortunate to pick up these skills at home; whereas, many children are not afforded the same opportunity. SOE’s teaching pays long dividends to each student who is exposed, and it’s FUN! It means a lot to me to be on the Board and serve on the Finance Committee. I have seen many young, adult lives negatively affected by financial decisions due to the lack of a solid understanding of personal finance. Collectively at SOE, we are building a foundation of essential skills that enable future success." Thank you Zack for volunteering your time and helping make Finance Fun for children in the Kansas City area! You can join him in supporting SOE by purchasing a red bag too! Go to the Hy-Vee located at 625 West Highway 40 in Blue Springs, MO and purchase a $2.50 red "My Heart" Reusable Bag to send a $1 donation to our organization this month!

Did you know that shopping on Amazon.com can help SOE? That's right. Start at smile.amazon.com, choose School of Economics as your designated charity, and Amazon will donate part of your purchase to help promote lifelong financial literacy! Its that simple!

Today we are bringing you some exciting news from School of Economics! School of Economics has recently teamed up with The Arts Asylum on a video project to help promote Real Life Experiences with Economics! This project has been a great collaboration between the two non-profit organizations, and we are happy to also be working with two local production companies Thill Media Thill Media and SJPS. Here are a few sneak peaks from our filming in our newest SOE space at UMB Bank! Stay tuned and be on the lookout for more highlights on this project and our behind the scenes filming at other locations! We can't wait to share the final videos with you!

We love to hear from our teachers and parents on how their students' time at SOE impacts them! One of our many previous SOE parent volunteers writes, So much fun and my girls learned so much! This is a great trip so kids can have a deeper more meaningful connection with the adult world and to spark a yearning for more. They had a blast and learned a little on how far a dollar goes. Let's just say they turn the lights off a little more often now! schoolofecon.org/programs

Here at SOE, we pride ourselves on being versatile and multi-faceted, as to fully reach all of our students, teachers and schools as best as we possibly can! Here are some of the words our team uses to encompass SOE's mission! What words would you use to describe your experiences and thoughts on School of Economics?

Looking for a fun and engaging resource to learn from home on this snowy Friday? Look no further! This video from Think Garden explains the economics of gardening through poetry! Learn how personal choices such as buying produce from a grocery store or farmers market, purchasing supplies like rakes and shovels for a garden, or selling fruits and vegetables produced in a school or home garden can affect supply and demand and make gardening part of the economy! https://kcpt.pbslearningmedia.org//think-garden-edible-ec/

It's time for another SOE Testimony with one of our previous students, Payton Hatcher! Payton Hatcher, Partner and CFO at local real estate brokerage Integrity Group Real Estate, has been involved with finances and the community for a long time. Payton attended SOE in 2005 as a student from Mason Elementary in Lee’s Summit, where he was the Bank President for his class during their field trip in the SOE Mini-Town. Payton admitted that the Bank President position was his secon...d choice, after losing in their class’s election for the Mini-Town Mayor. Though he regretted losing the election at the time, he ended up very happy with the result as the Bank President position suited him and his skill sets well with the quick math and money handling requirements. Though originally not planning a career related to this, down the road in college he was drawn to business and finance classes where those same skill sets helped him to succeed, completing his business degree at UMKC with a concentration in finance. As graduation approached and he started applying for jobs, he thought back to his time with SOE and felt that banking might be a better fit for him than other areas of finance, leading him to apply at UMB Bank where he started in commercial banking in downtown KC the week after graduation. Throughout his time at UMB (including a 2 year stint in Denver) and even preceding it while in high school and college, he has been extremely active with volunteering and community involvement, always hoping to be able to give something back to the community that has given him so much. Now relocated back to Lee’s Summit and running his own business, Payton has re-engaged with SOE and currently serving as the Facilities Committee chairperson, utilizing his combined real estate and finance knowledge to further the mission of SOE. When asked to reflect on his time at SOE in elementary school and how he felt walking back in to the building as an adult, he said it looked about the same, but smaller. He laughed when looking at his old bank post, as the style and decorations of it has recently been updated to reflect UMB Bank’s current branch style, and he immediately recognized the colors and furniture. On losing the mayoral election 15 years ago, he stated that I’m extremely competitive so I’m still a little bitter about losing but I’ve actually remained good friends with the girl who beat me and she ended up introducing me to my wife, so I can’t be too mad at her!

Why we love School of Economics! Read below to hear from some of our staff members about some of the many reasons why we are proud to serve students on their financial and economic educational journey! schoolofecon.com/about

It's time for another School of Economics student testimony... this time with one of our homeschool student attendees! We asked one of our previous kiddos, Abigail, about her experiences at SOE. She wrote, "I had the privilege of having three jobs because I got to go to SOE three years in a row! I was a baker, shop manager, and a bank vice president. I looked forward to it every time, and I wish I got to do it every year. I worked with a team of co-workers each time-- it gave... us the chance to be good friends because we had to learn about each other and understand one another's perspectives. What we learned is that sometimes you need more people in life. Without doing things with each other, we would not be able to get everything done. When I was the baker, we sold oyster cookies, chicken nuggets, and lei necklaces. A lot of people loved the oyster cookies. When we lowered the price we got more people, but less money per item sold. When we made the price higher, we got less people, but more money per item sold. Some people acted in awe when the price was lower, but when the price was higher they usually just left. We got to spend our own money on things around at other stores, but if we wanted to just give part of it back we could donate it to our own store. When we were one of the stores that did a good profit, we felt very accomplished." Abigail's mother, Vanessa, also noted that, "I would highly recommend SOE for all elementary age students whether in public school, private school, homeschool, or unschool. SOE provides real life situations that all adults will face at some point, but these kids get to experience it now, learn how to properly handle mistakes, and everyone finishes the day with a better understanding of how our economic system works in the real world." In 2021, SOE hopes to once again host camps for homeschool students ages 9-12. To stay in the loop on these camps or to learn more, visit https://schoolofecon.org/homeschool-reservations/.

Giving Tuesday is officially here once again! Here at SOE, we kindly thank you for any consideration in donating monthly, or even helping with a one time donation! We rely on donations and generous people to continue carrying out our mission of educating children about economics - we couldn't do what we do without YOU! To sign up for monthly donations, offer a one-time gift, or learn more about how you can help us continue to serve our teachers, students and districts, visit schoolofecon.org/donate today!

October is National Book Month, and here at SOE, we are always encouraging our young readers to grab a book and reach further into learning! For this special occasion, we have curated a short list of a few wonderful, educational books about economics: A Chair for My Mother Arthur’s Pet Business Uncle Jed’s Barber Shop... How Much is a Million? A New Coat for Anna Those Shoes Feel free to check out these titles, or share some of your favorites as well! Find more at https://www.scholastic.com//books-teaching-economic-conce/.

Here at School of Economics, we are all about finance made fun! Economics is a social science concerned chiefly with description and analysis of production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services - and it's a lifelong skill that we believe all kids should learn! We were first founded in 1994 through a collaborative effort between the Blue Springs School District, the City of Blue Springs and many local businesses. There was an evident need for teaching elementary... school-aged children about economics, and that's what founded our very mission that's held true to this very day. Our mission at SOE is to engage students through hands-on, curriculum-based learning programs to promote lifelong financial literacy. We help them to understand and apply basic marketplace concepts and skills and expose them to business-related careers. To learn more about us, please visit schoolofecon.org/about !

One of the favorite School of Economics recipes among students is for these delicious Rice Krispy Treats! Find our recipe at https://www.ricekrispies.com//the-original-treats-recipe.h, and show us how you make these fun SOE classic treats from home!

Today we are celebrating World Teachers' Day! Thank you times a million to all those teachers we serve, and even those we don't! The world, the education system, and our children wouldn't be the same without everything you do on a daily basis! Cheers to you!

Today is the day for another SOE Testimony! One of our previous student attendees Ben Henderson writes on his experiences at SOE, stating that, "I went to School of Economics when my 2nd to 5th grade classes attended. I was always hired to work in the bank. I thought that I would enjoy making food, but when I worked at the bank I thought it was the best job ever! I have a special ongoing relationship with SOE because during high school, I actually got to work where my job exp...erience started. The best part of SOE was always the leaders and the people in charge. As teachers, they were always so helpful to every student. They made the experience fun and made us want to come back time and time again! When I came to work at SOE, I learned that the staff was equally as great to work with. I think that every student should experience going to SOE. It not only helped me learn how to deal with money, but how to handle my job in the real world." Visit https://schoolofecon.org/about to learn more about the students we have served over the years

"For Dave and Lydia Jeter, personal experiences have guided their philanthropic journey. The pair have long held a passion for giving through their church and have become involved in several nonprofit organizations over the years... Lydia has been involved with School of Economics, an interactive learning simulation that provides elementary aged students with economic learning opportunities, since she left the classroom in 1994. She became the first Director of the program an...d served in that capacity until she retired in 2001, and has continued to be involved as a board member and supporter since her retirement. 'School of Economics is a great program for the kids and they really learn a lot,' says Lydia, 'I’ve been involved for the last twenty-five years and I still enjoy every bit of it.'" Read the full article at https://www.thcf.org//For-Dave-and-Lydia-Jeter-Personal-Ex .

Mark your calendars! In partnership with our local Girl Scouts, School of Economics is hosting a financial literacy component on October 6th! https://www.facebook.com/gsksmo : "GSKSMO Council Juniors and Cadettes Only... Are you ready to get business savvy? Our great community partner, School of Economics is bringing a business savvy virtual workshop on October 6th for our Girl Scouts. Girls will learn will learn about starting up a business, keeping a budget and making decis...ions on how to price products, which will help with Step 1 of Junior Business Owner and steps 2, 3 and 5 of Cadette Budgeting badges. School of Economics will also help you complete the additional steps of this badge if you want. This will be a fun way to practice these important lifelong skills. See all the details and reserve your spot(s) at https://www.gsksmo.org///2020/school-of-economics-oct.html . " Materials needed: All materials will be provided via documents on the computer to fill out or download and print out. How to register: Email Jason Johnston at [email protected]. This is an opportunity for GSKSMO registered Girl Scouts only. Cost Per Girl: $5 Cost Per Adult: N/A Badge Connections: Junior: Business Owner, Cadette: Budgeting. For notifications about future Girl Scout events, head to https://schoolofecon.org/girl-scouts-reservations/ . For the original Girl Scouts posting and more information on this event, visit https://www.facebook.com//a.1420773124846/4929963340362706 .

EXCITING NEWS AT SOE: We have now organized a School of Economics Committee! Months ago, we asked our followers for input on what they needed most during this time. We are so thankful for the many educators who responded and gave us amazing ideas and information. From this, we invited some of these educators to serve on a new School of Economics committee and aid our organization in a continued effort to provide for students and teachers as best we can. This committee inclu...des curriculum specialists from The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, KCPS, KCKPS Diploma+, a Real World Learning coordinator, and the Lee’s Summit School District. These specialists were chosen to help organize ideas for SOE moving forward and provide for teachers in the coming school years. With the state of the world having changed our current education system, here at SOE, we wanted to find a way to reach and provide for teachers and educators in any way that we can. This committee was formed to help answer questions like: What do teachers need right now? How can we at SOE meet their needs or meet teachers and students where they’re at as we return to school? We look forward to continuing to support our educators, school districts and students as we navigate these times together. Visit https://schoolofecon.org to keep up with our programs as we change to help our local schools this year!

It's #GivingTuesday ! Here at School of Economics, we are so appreciative of any and all donations you are willing to give! We rely on donations and generous people (like you!) to carry out our mission of educating children about economics. We kindly thank you for your consideration! Head to https://schoolofecon.org/donate/ to give a one-time donation, or to sign up for monthly giving!... #nonprofit #donate #kansascity #educatechildren

This month we want to pay a special thank you to some long-time School of Economics Board Members. Tyler Knott, Jennifer Oswald Brown, Marisa Martinez, and Dayla Fullerton gave SOE a strong foundation on which to grow. Dayla Fullerton reflected on her six years on the board, writing that, "My first exposure to SOE was through my sons’ field trips. The excitement and build up to SOE began a few weeks before the actual day. Earning money in the classroom, dressing up for the b...ig day, and coming to a new world to make a fresh start. You had a job, you made things, you got paid, and then you were able to spend your money. Oh, the choices they had to make! The food choices, the craft choices it was almost too much. And do you save for next year? OR spend it all now! As a parent volunteer, it was just as much excitement to see how the kids made their decisions and how proud they were of them. That is why I was honored when I was asked to be on the board. Financial education that was fun for students and parents, as well as other volunteers-- that's what SOE embodied. It's impactful, and the kids remember the lessons. They remember what food or craft they made, what their job was, did they make a profit! SOE provides an experience for life-long lessons to take root, and to be built upon. What the kids do in 2nd grade is different than the lessons for 4th grade... every new financial literacy experience builds on the skills learned before. SOE builds a financial foundation for our youth in the best possible environment hands on, fun and with their friends." Dayla noted that she even keeps many crafts from previous students on display in her office in commemoration of all the great memories she's experienced at SOE. Visit https://schoolofecon.org/programs to learn more about how we are making finance fun here at School of Economics!

It's time for some School of Economics trivia! Test your student on some quick knowledge of SOE, and let us know how many they got right!

Our September SOE Recipe is our easy-to-make, but deliciously good cheese quesadillas! All you need for these tasty treats is a tortilla, some cheese, and one of our quesadilla makers! Here at SOE, these are a favorite! So much that one of our 5th grade Seigrist Elementary School kiddos made a special request for her birthday-- a fancy little quesadilla maker... "just like the one at SOE!" So grab your favorite toppings, cook up some yummy quesadillas , and show us your kiddos best creations!