ONE AMAZING KID

James Robinson, Jr., a senior at Tara High School, knows the difficulties students face when entering high school and navigating the day-to-day experiences. To help these students communicate their concerns, James created B hEARD, a student-led organization that provides a platform for students to come together and speak on the issues that are affecting them, receive counseling, and solve any problems they may be experiencing. Although the support group was only recently established, it has been flourishing. “The response has been amazing. We have 20 students in the organization, and we have multiple students that come and visit us,” says James. James, who is also the school’s student body president, hopes to expand the organization, introducing it into other schools in the community. Schools such as Belaire and Broadmoor have reached out with interest in starting the organization at their schools. After graduation, James has expressed interest in staying local in order to assist other schools in implementing the support group. In his free time, James models and is an assistant photographer for his sister’s studio. When he attends college in the fall, he will be studying mass communication and journalism. James is a visionary and an outstanding peer. His positivity is admirable, and he describes himself as funny and goofy, and always the “loudest and tallest one” in the crowd. With his creative mind and compassion for others, he’s truly one amazing kid. ■

What happens when you fall asleep in class? A group of talented students from Mr. Shane Stewart’s Talented Theater class answers this question with their award-winning short film, The New Kid. The film tells a thrilling story of a girl named Christina who falls asleep in class and dreams she is being stalked around the strangely empty campus by a mysterious girl. Recently, at the EBR Schools Film Festival, The New Kid won Overall Best Film, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and Most Creative. They’re already working on not one but five new films, but, until then, you can watch The New Kid on YouTube by searching MMAM TALENTED THEATRE PRESENTS: THE NEW KID.

The Liberty Magnet Robotics team 23065b received the judges award at the RADC Drone Competition in Texas. RADC is a challenge presented in the form of a game. The object of the game is to attain a higher score than the opposing alliance. RADC fosters student development through teamwork, critical thinking, project management, and communication skills required to prepare them to become the next generation of innovators. To qualify for the award, the team must demonstrate teamwork, design, communication, and subject knowledge. Team members Connor Waters, Nelson Devore, Jillian Sisson, Brendan Spillers, and Alex Chenevert exemplified these qualities at the competition and were awarded for their awesome project. We recently witnessed a fun phenomenon when February 22, 2022 occurred. Many schools around Baton Rouge and beyond came together to commemorate this special day in unique ways. The first graders at Episcopal School of Baton Rouge celebrated Twos-Day on 2/22/22 by burying a time capsule on the school’s campus. Inside the capsule, there are letters from the students, teachers, and parents. The students also listed their favorite things along with what they think will happen by the year 3/3/33, which is when they will gather again as highschool seniors to dig up the capsule and read their notes and predictions from 11 years ago.

Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broom announced a new initiative, the Baton Rouge Youth Voice Initiative, a collaboration between the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council; Baton Rouge Alliance for Students; and Safe, Hopeful, Healthy BR. The Initiative identifies what students in the community need the most and elevates K-12 students’ voices so that leaders can provide for them and strengthen their futures. “In creating a future for EBR’s youth in which they achieve the lives they deserve and desire, amplifying their experiences must be at the forefront of system-design,” says Adonica Pelichet Duggan, CEO of Baton Rouge Alliance for Students. All students are encouraged to participate in the initiative. ■ batonrougestudents.org

Parkview Baptist School will take to the stage to present Tarzan, a stunning musical brimming with color and excitement in its staging, costuming, and set design. You won’t want to miss this heartwarming story of a boy among apes who comes face-to-face with the human world and must choose between civilization and the African jungle he always called home. The show will run Friday, April 1 and Tuesday, April 5 through Saturday, April 9. All performances will start at 6:30 p.m. and will take place in the Performing Arts and Academic Center for the very first time. Bring your friends and family to watch this unforgettable musical theater experience. Tickets are on sale now. ■ parkviewbaptist.com/tarzan

McKanstry Preparatory School in Central is excited to announce that one of their 10th-grade students, Micah McKanstry, was recently accepted into the Johns Hopkins Summer Program with a scholarship from Harvard. This scholarship will allow Micah to take Calculus I and Johns Hopkins’ Introductory to Neuroscience class, adding to the 12 college credit hours he has already earned. This summer, he will have accumulated more than 20 college credit hours. Micah McKanstry has been a Southern University Dual Enrollment student since ninth grade. McKanstry Preparatory is very proud of Micah and wishes him the best of luck in his studies.

PODCAST

Children may not always listen to the life lessons we try to impart, but when it comes to money, they are an amazingly attentive audience. T. Rowe Price, a global investment management firm, found in a survey that 65 percent of kids approach their parents about money matters. Provide guidance about managing money now and you’ll set your children on the course for a lifetime of financial responsibility and longterm security.

Mike English, economic educator and facilitator of the parent-teacher program, Talking to Your Kids About Personal Finances, encourages parents to teach kids about money as soon as they can count.

For Megan Lynch, whose daughters are ages 5, 3, and 10 weeks, understanding money is an important life skill.

“It took me a really long time to learn to budget and get my credit on track,” Lynch says. “I want my girls to know that being responsible with their finances will reap better rewards than the instant gratification of just blowing it all.”

First, distinguish between wants and needs. Your child will become a more prudent spender who fulfills needs first and saves for wish-list items to purchase later.

Lynch’s girls use a piggy bank to watch their money grow. “We are trying to teach them that saving up for something special takes time and patience, and in the end, they are always proud of how much money they were able to save,” she says.

For novice money managers, offer budgeting and planning tips. Trish Batten provides some guidance for her daughter Kendall, but overall, she gives her the freedom to make her own decisions about how she spends money.

“Recently she had a goal to save up for a pet, then got invited by a friend to the American Girl Doll Store,” Batten says. “She chose to dip into her money for American Doll items. Her savings for a pet dwindled significantly for what a nine year old is able to save up, and she is just now realizing it.”

Allowance is another tool for teaching kids as young as four basic budgeting skills. Make the connection between work and earnings by assigning chores that benefit the entire family, like feeding pets or washing the dishes.

Wondering how much to pay? “Err on the side of frugality,” English says. “Keep it low enough so the child learns some discipline and learns to save.” Provide enough allowance each week to cover one of your child’s needs, such as lunch money, and a little extra to go towards a want. “Whatever is left, they can spend on discretionary items.”

If your child spends his allowance without considering his weekly expenses, natural consequences like brown-bagging lunch for the rest of the week will quickly teach him the value of planning and budgeting his money. If your child wants to earn more money, offer extra chores for additional allowance.

Early on, lead by example. “Kendall sees when we give to charity, save money, pay bills, use coupons and such,” Batten says. “We talk about what we are doing and why we are doing it.”

Once your children enter middle school or high school, involve them in family budget discussions to help them understand weekly expenditures. Divide the week’s expenses into envelopes. Even if you wish your finances looked different, “be transparent with kids about your family budget,” English says. The lesson? When a child sees that money isn’t in the budget for the designer jeans she wants, she can save some of her own earnings to purchase the jeans herself.

By the time your kids are seven or eight years old, encourage them to put birthday money or allowance left over at the end of the week into a savings account in their name. With a savings account, children learn about interest and how their money can grow. To get her started, consider matching your child’s already accumulated savings.

Delineate the costs of a car with your child, including the monthly payments, the interest rates on loans added to the monthly payment, sales tax, and title and registration.

“A $12,000 car ends up being quite a bit more than that. This (exercise) shows the practical costs associated with a big deal like buying a car,” English says.

Financial Fitness for Life Parent Guide, -fffl.councilforeconed.org/book-overview.php?gradeLevel=Parent-Guides.

Interactive websites geared toward youth audiences include: -handsonbanking.com -practicalmoneyskills.com/games/ trainingcamp

-The Opposite of Spoiled: Raising Kids Who are Grounded, Generous and Smart About Money by Ron Lieber -Smart Money Smart Kids by Dave Ramsey and Rachel Cruze -The Everything Kids Money Book by Brette McWhorter Sember ■