District 88 names Junior Achievement of Chicago as February Business Partner

During its Feb. 2 meeting, the District 88 Board of Education, along with the administration, named Junior Achievement of Chicago (JA) as a Business Partner. The Business Partner program recognizes companies, organizations and individuals for their support in building futures for District 88 students and helping to accomplish the district’s mission and vision.

JA is a prime example of a group working with the district to achieve its goals. According to https://jausa.ja.org, JA “helps young people discover what’s possible in their lives … by helping them connect what they learn in school with life outside the classroom.” JA representatives who attended the meeting are Kim Wagner, Director of Programs - North Suburban, and Akilah Brown, Program Manager - North Suburban.

JA has worked closely with the district’s BEYOND BOSS Community, which is coordinated by District 88 Student Success Coordinator Dr. VaLarie Humphrey, to strengthen the financial confidence and readiness of District 88 students.

“The partnership between the BEYOND BOSS Community and JA grew in all the right ways,” Dr. Humphrey said. “For the past two years, they have led financial literacy workshops for our students. This year, they reached more than 200 young people in our community. Together, we have given students real exposure, real skills and real confidence.”

The collaboration between District 88 and JA is composed of three key programs.

1. JA Town Financial Literacy Program: Through this program, BEYOND BOSS students participate in an interactive mock town and take on real-world roles. They manage budgets, track expenses, run businesses, vote and make decisions that mirror adult responsibilities. It provides them with a grounded and relatable way to understand money and daily financial choices.
   
   
2. JA in a Day: Through this experience, members of the district’s Talented Scholars Network recently provided lessons at Evergreen Elementary School in Carol Stream as part of JA’s High School Heroes Program. Every grade at the school received hands-on financial and career readiness activities.
   
   
3. JA Take Stock in Your Future: This semester, the Talented Scholars Network will participate in this stock market program that uses a hands-on simulation to teach investing fundamentals. Students will learn how buying and selling stocks works in real time, how risk plays a role and how current events move the market. 

Junior Achievement of Chicago is a tremendous Business Partner with District 88, and the district is proud to honor the organization in recognition of these efforts.

• To watch the presentation, click on the video above.
  
  
• To view a photo gallery, see the images below. Click on the images for photo captions.
  
  
• District 88 is always looking to develop more partnerships, and those who are interested can find information at www.dupage88.net/BusinessPartnerships.