Junior Achievement wraps up tenth year at Treynor Community Schools

March 6, 2020 | TS Bank

Treynor, IA – TS Institute just wrapped up its tenth year facilitating Junior Achievement (JA) at Treynor Community Schools with 19 classrooms of grades K-5.

TS Institute, the financial literacy-arm of TS Bank, was first involved with Junior Achievement in 2010 in the Treynor Community School District. This year, 10 employees from within the organization along with several community members, volunteered their time to teach five lessons in their assigned classroom.

Junior Achievement is the oldest, largest and fastest-growing nonprofit economics education program throughout the world. JA inspires and prepares young people to succeed in a global economy and learn about their community, jobs and entrepreneurship. JA reaches students with fun, hands-on programs that teach students financial literacy and equip them with the knowledge and skills to make a better life choices.

Students are encouraged to think practically about starting a business with entrepreneurial thinking to meet the requirements of a demanding and ever-changing workforce. The students learn new vocabulary words, engage in hands on activities and games and discuss local businesses and entrepreneurs.

We asked a few our employees about their experience with Junior Achievement. Sarabeth Lewis, Operations Manager within the TS Prosperity Group taught Mrs. Alexandra Petry’s 5th grade class.

“The whole experience of Junior Achievement was rewarding. It took me out of my comfort zone and made me realize how much I enjoy working with kids by volunteering my time. It feels really good to be able to give back to the community by helping teach youth the importance of education, training, and other learning opportunities they are gaining through school and life lessons,“ said Lewis.

Brett Werner currently serves as Chief Investment Officer and has volunteered with JA for several years and had this to add about volunteering this year in Mrs. Tiffany Block’s 1st grade class.

“This is my third year volunteering with Junior Achievement in Treynor Schools, and it never ceases to amaze me how much children love learning. I experience joy when I see how enthusiastically the kids participate in discussions and games, and I can tell these lessons stick with them through the years,” said Werner. “I remember going through Junior Achievement myself in elementary school, and now being on the teaching end of the program is a rewarding way to bring my Junior Achievement experience full circle.”

JA is a volunteer-led program and here locally, TS Institute facilitated the recruitment and training of volunteers to deliver the lessons in the classrooms. The program allows community members to be involved in financial literacy instruction and also gives teachers an opportunity to take advantage of third-party resources to offer different perspectives to their students.

Cody Forbush, Investment Strategist with the TS Prosperity Group, worked in Mrs. Pearce’s 4th grade class.

“I received thank you cards from the students and their heartfelt thank you notes really meant a lot to me, along with their amazing artwork,” said Forbush. “The students were AWESOME and I really enjoyed working with them and hope to do so again in the future. This was my first time at teaching JA and they were the absolute best class anyone could have hoped for.”

“Yesterday was one of those days that reminded me why I absolutely love what I do,” said Charity Pearce, Treynor Elementary. “Cody was a natural in the classroom and they loved having him.”

To learn more about Junior Achievement, contact Traci Dresher, Programs Coordinator with TS Institute at 712.487.0483 or traci.dresher@tsinstitue.org.

About TS Bank: TS Bank’s mission is to Ignite Prosperity® in the communities it serves. Leading the resurgence of community banking, TS Bank reinvests 10% of their net income locally; hosting educational events and partners with local organizations and non-profits. Treynor State Bank was chartered in 1923 and branded to TS Bank in 2005. TS Bank has $365 million in assets, along with the largest Iowa state-chartered C-Corp trust department west of Des Moines at nearly $226 million in assets named TS Prosperity Group. Locations include Treynor, Macedonia, Atlantic, Corning and Council Bluffs, Iowa. For more information visit tsbank.com.