About a dozen Columbia Falls High Schoolers made a visit to Glacier Gateway and Ruder Elementary on Thursday, Oct. 5 to share an important lesson:

“The big message out of our lesson was to get them to know that money doesn’t grow on trees,” Columbia Falls High School Business and Information Technology Educator Becky Bates said.

Through a scholarship and funding from Jump$tart, Bates has attended their National Educator Conference to learn how to teach Pre-K through 12th graders about personal finance. She teaches a class of about 70 high schoolers personal finance, and through the Teen Teach-In Jump$tart campaign, was able to take some of her students out to share their knowledge with the younger kids.

The high school students broke off into small groups to read “Planet Zeee and the Money Tree” to Columbia Falls first, second, fourth and fifth graders. The story followed a group of aliens whose money actually does grow on trees as they journey to Earth and discover how humans earn money, budget and save it.

Afterwards, the younger students played a Jeopardy-style game covering basic financial concepts. Second graders at Glacier Gateway were excited to shout out the things they have been saving their money for – everything from a pogo stick to a house. About 400 elementary students were reached through the project.

Bates has received the Jump$tart scholarship again and will return to the National Educator Conference in November to learn more about financial education and bring it back to her students.