Gov. McDonnell: Chantilly High School Wins State Championship in Economics

Gov. Bob McDonnell announced Wednesday that students from Chantilly High School have won a state economics championship in Richmond.

Chantilly High School took first place in the Adam Smith Division (advanced economics), under teacher Joe Clement.

“Virginia students must be equipped with effective money management skills and an understanding of how our ever-changing, fast-paced global economy works,” Gov. McDonnell said in a new release.

“The Governor’s Challenge allows students to put these critical skills into action. I congratulate all of the students who participated in today’s competition, and our teachers who worked to prepare our students for the Challenge. These students will leave the competition better prepared for success in the future.”

The Governor’s Challenge is conducted in partnership with the Virginia Council on Economic Education (VCEE), a nonprofit public-private partnership focused on enhancing economics and financial education in grades K-12. VCEE promotes the new economics and personal finance courses for high school students, in its second year of a four-year implementation period in which high school students must earn a credit in economics and personal finance before they graduate.  The Governor’s Challenge is part of the Virginia High School Initiative designed to support teachers and school divisions with implementation of the new high school course.

“I want to congratulate our students’ on their exemplary performance and a job well done,” said Virginia Secretary of Education Laura Fornash.  “It is clear these students will leave high school better prepared for the jobs of the 21st Century and be more effective consumers, savers, and investors.” 

BCG Companies, Dominion Resources, and Virginia Credit Union provided financial support to make the Governor’s Challenge possible.

To learn more about the Governor’s Challenge and other efforts to promote economic and financial education for Virginia’s students, visit http://www.education.virginia.gov/Initiatives/EconomicAndFinancialLiteracy/index.cfm and www.vcee.org