River Falls students earn real-life financial skills from in-school credit union
By Alex Ebert, TwinCities.com
Nov.14/09
In between lunch and 1 p.m. calculus, Matt Schwaler is a teller at his high school credit union.
His purple button-up shirt hides a River Falls (Wis.) High School cross country T-shirt, but his smile is all business as he handles a deposit from Principal Elaine Baumann.
Tucked in a corner of the school store above the cafeteria is the Westconsin Credit Union, where Schwaler, 18, and fellow senior Casey Schellhorn, 17, peddle candy and mascot apparel at one end of the shop, and savings and checking accounts at the other.
Though Skittles and gum are still major shop staples, Schwaler said people are showing up for more than just their sweet fix.
"I didn't think too many students would get excited to go to the bank," Schwaler said. "It's cool. I truly hope that having the branch is going to help others."
In Wisconsin, more than 85 schools have invited credit unions and banks to place a branch on campus to promote financial literacy and give students real-world teller experience, a practice one Oakdale teacher hopes will ignite in Minnesota, where such partnerships are nonexistent.
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