On Friday, March 15, each member of the LS Class of 2024 took a day off from two blocks (varying dependent on their house) for the Reality for Life event. The event, according to the LS official website is, “a simulation of the financial obstacles students will face throughout their lives.” Booths were set up in the gymnasium about all sorts of financial necessities: from housing to fun, volunteering, and transportation, they had it all! I had a chance to walk around the booths and ask the people running them some questions. The event is spearheaded by math teachers Kate Grant and Kathleen Thompson who said they were interested in starting the event because they had heard of other schools doing it, and wanted to bring it to LS.
My first stop was at the lifestyle booth where I met Ms. Melissa Schwendemann and Ms. Swati Kearney. Their booth was about all the luxuries you can have in life, such as cellphones, clothing, and televisions. They were interested in working the fair because they believed that young adults should have the experience to learn how much things cost in their everyday life. When you’re growing up, most of your things are paid for by your parents. As a result, you don’t get to learn much about money and buying things until you leave home. Thus, they thought it was a good opportunity to teach kids how much things actually cost in real life. Their advice for young adults is to realistically list out all the things they do/get/buy and how much it costs to get them.
Ms. Jodi Sparks ran the charitable giving booth. Her advice was to take advantage of all the things that come your way. If you don’t, then you might miss some amazing opportunities! You never know what you are missing unless you take the chance. Every opportunity is worth it and don’t be afraid to try. Ms. Sparks said that what got her wanting to run the fair was that it is really important to consider when spending money.
My final stop was the Wheel of Reality, run by Mr. Dave Kartenen and Ms. Donna Cakert. The booth consisted of a wheel that you could spin, and, depending on what you landed
on, led you to a good or bad option. Furthermore, you also had to answer questions if you landed on a green space in order to win a prize. The questions were mainly about credit cards. If you got the answer correct, then you could get a gift card of your choosing! I got to take my turn at the wheel, and it was very fun! When I asked about ways that they could improve their booth which had been subject to change in the past, Mr. Kartenen and Ms. Cakert said that they were thinking about having something happen if you landed on a red spot on the wheel. At the moment, nothing happens if you land on a red spot.They wanted to add questions about different kinds of bills, such as vet bills, utility bills, and heating bills. They believe that the booth isn’t challenging enough, but adding on more things could make it better.
Overall, the event was a success! It seemed very informative for the seniors, and the adults running it knew a lot of information about financial literacy, information that is good to pass on to the students. Reality for Life was truly an impactful event for the students because of how much it taught them.
