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Reality Fair gives eighth graders glimpse of financial life

December 9, 2024

Welcome to reality!

More than 600 eighth graders from around Jackson County attended the Reality Fair on Dec. 6 at Seymour Middle School.

A Reality Fair is a simulation of an adult’s financial life that allows youth to experience making financial decisions and managing money. They can experience what it is like to manage an account at a financial institution, make money-related decisions, obtain a loan, manage debt and more. For the youth, a Reality Fair can be an eye-opening, exciting and fun way to build financial knowledge and skills.

After being assigned one of 18 different types of jobs, they visited 12 booths: Pets, health care, transportation, housing Part 1, housing Part 2, household spending, the unexpected, credit card, bank, sharing and charitable gifts, children and cellphone.

There were 68 volunteers from the community who manned the booths in both gyms to help students make decisions. There were three hour-and-a-half sessions.

This was the second year for the event. Last year, only SMS students attended. This year, they were joined by Brownstown Central, Crothersville, Medora, Immanuel Lutheran, St. John’s Sauers Lutheran, Lutheran Central and Sandy Creek Christian.

Thanks to all of the students and staff from each school who attended or helped with this event, SMS for hosting, all of the community volunteers for working at the booths and the Seymour High School Jobs for America’s Graduates students and specialists for assisting at the event. It takes everyone to make this a success.

Thanks to these volunteers who manned the booths…

Aisin USA Mfg. Inc.: Marnie Dirks

Beatty Insurance: Kevin Ude

Bee Mortgage App: Brittany Percival

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Indiana Realty: Cat Kick

Blue & Co.: Grace Otte, Carson Fleetwood, Karen Dringenburg, Debbie Herbert

Blueshift Marketing: Jaredith Mize

Boys & Girls Club of Seymour: Ryon Wheeler, Lara Wheeler, Tabitha Shepherd-Brooks, Bailey Lauster

Brownstown Veterinary Clinic: Mandy Michaels

Centra Credit Union: Jenni Carr, Tammy Hercamp, Sehrish Sangamkar, Madison Darlage

Central Security & Communications: David Lainhart

Child Care Network: Kate Garrity

City of Seymour: Chad Keithley, Matt Nicholson, January Rutherford, Allycen Wheeler, Tracey Cole

Cummins Seymour Engine Plant: Stacey Brummett, Dani Kareus

F.C. Tucker Real Estate Experts: Harley Wooten

Healthy Jackson County: Jena Hanks, Jenna Thomas

Integrity Mortgage Group: P.J. Stein, Michal Leah Bevers

JCBank: Amanda Pratt, Haley Pennington, Tanner Hawkins, Allison Vannarsdall, Samantha Canaday, Angie Martin

Jackson County Chamber: Sasha Sitterding

Jackson County government: Jeff Hubbard

Jackson County United Way: Maci Baurle, Stephanie Strothmann

JCIDC board: Amanda Lowery

Old National Bank: Amber Schrader, Zenda Brooks

Pet Supplies Plus: Tammy Barker, Tina Hacker, Yesenia Otero

Poynter Family of Dealerships: Skylar Prange

Royalty Companies: Kevin Gabbard, Jared Clark

Schneck Medical Center: Heidi Wheatley, Amy Hatton, Skylar Earley, Natalie Wiethoff

Seymour Animal Hospital: Amy Birk, Addyson Coomer

Shelter Insurance: Angie Hoevener

Shepherd Insurance: Jason Bukowski

SpaceGuard Products: Kathy England

The Carpet Gallery: Parker Wiethoff

Vincennes University: Brian Sawyers

Community members: Dee Kovener, Rexanne Ude, Susie Bowman, Dave Thompson, Catherine Horton, Stephanee Squires-Roberts

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