Envision a community of students who graduate with the life skills to invest in stocks, bonds, and property. Imagine students who take the information learned in a classroom to help uplift and educate their families out of a poverty mindset - and out of credit problems. Picture students who help their families understand the damage of predatory lending and the importance of having assets.

At Western High School, something extraordinary is happening: students are learning the power of personal finance.

Under the guidance of Mx. Rennenkampf, 11th and 12th-grade students at Western are able to take a Personal Finance class for the first time in recent memory. Around 300 students eagerly enrolled in the course, meeting every other day. While technically an elective, it is a course the students have long desired and requested, a class with life skills that would equip them for the real world after graduation.

Jada, an 11th-grader, is thrilled to have this opportunity.

"I'm learning about taxes, billing, credit cards, and things I will need in life. Eventually, I will have a credit card, and now I feel like I know how to balance my finances so that I'm not in debt,” Jada said. “I'm learning how to invest and pull my family up. I feel like I can help my family understand money more."

The mission is to master personal finance and confidently navigate adulthood's financial maze. Next Gen Personal Finance created the curriculum, but Mx. Rennenkampf takes the coursework and designs the class to be relatable to the students and their communities.

In one captivating session, students explored wealth and net worth and discussed assets and the racial wealth gap. They shared stories of their families, brainstormed ways to preserve assets, and were inspired to rethink their spending habits and the impact of their financial choices on their families and communities.

Many students, already juggling part-time jobs, were encouraged by Mx. Rennenkampf to apply their new knowledge to their incomes. Some students even take the class lessons home and translate them into their families' native languages to share their newly found financial wisdom.

In this class, the students don't just learn; they absorb, commit to changing and improving, and recognize the value of the new knowledge they gain. The Personal Finance course covers a range of topics from behavioral economics to banking, credit management, investing, taxes, college financing, and consumer skills.

Rachel, an 11th-grader, is excited to use what she's learned.

"This Personal Finance class teaches me how to manage my money and gain wealth. My favorite topic is learning how to invest because that's how you make money the most. Using money to make money is what I want to do,” Rachel said.

As the students embark on this journey, they are not merely gaining knowledge. They are also gaining the power to reshape their futures, uplift their families, and make dollars really make sense.

Read more about City School's progress here!

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Western High students make dollars make sense