Magazine High School students now have the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of the banking profession as well as learn banking skills through a new Banking Operations Program offered this school year.
Students have the opportunity to enroll in Principles of Banking or Advanced Banking. Students can receive college credit after completing Principles of Banking. The courses are taught by Brad Smith, a second-year business teacher who has vast professional experience in the banking industry as a former loan officer.
“Students will learn how banks function, along with the different types of teller transactions,” Smith said. “They will gain an understanding of the bank from the bank's perspective. The second-year class in this program is Advanced Banking, where students will learn the lending side of banking, which is my specialty.”
This new program was made possible through a $36,465 Career and Technical Education Start-Up Grant from the Arkansas Department of Education’s Division of Career and Technical Education.
Last school year, Magazine submitted its grant proposal, which was the product of a collaboration between Magazine Schools Federal Programs and Curriculum Administrator Karen Gipson and Smith and his fellow CTE teacher and high school librarian Cheryl Davis.
Magazine was one of almost 70 Arkansas schools to receive a CTE Start-Up grant for programs ranging from culinary arts to sports medicine to digital cinema production. It was the only Logan County school to receive a grant.
The purpose of State Start-Up grants is to implement new CTE opportunities aligned with programs of study that meet industry needs. Grant funds must be used to purchase the minimum equipment list items. Grant awards shall be available for the exclusive purpose of purchasing equipment, required training and industry-recognized credentials.
Schools receiving a State Start-Up grant received 85 percent of the cost to implement the program based on the minimum equipment list provided. The district is responsible for 15 percent of the implementation cost based on the minimum equipment list provided.