Mary Dahlby Named 2008 Iowa Jump$tart Coalition Financial Educator of the Year
From Left: Marybeth Foster and Mary Dahlby
Des Moines, Iowa—Mary Dahlby, Family and Consumer Science teacher at Urbandale Community School District has been named 2008 Financial Educator of the Year by Iowa Jump$tart Coalition. The award was provided by the Iowa Credit Union Foundation and was presented at the annual Jump$tart Coalition Personal Financial Literacy Conference held July 17-18 in Ankeny.
Dahlby was awarded for her dedication to educating Iowa’s youth on personal financial literacy. “Financial “R”esponsibility should be the fourth “R” because it is critically important for all of us,” she said. “With the appropriate financial education, many common pitfalls can be avoided.”
Dahlby spends more than half of the student contact time on teaching financial concepts. Specifically, she uses the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) materials as the basis of her unit and supplements it with additional resources. Students are able to use the Internet in her classes to use online financial calculators, learn the importance of compound interest and identify housing and living expenses.
One of her unique presentations is “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” is focused on high school seniors and demonstrates the time value of money as well as other basic financial concepts.
“It is my goal to make my students financially literate so they can manage their own money and make smart financial decisions during their lifetime,” he said.
“Mary’s wealth of financial information she presents to this group of students is outstanding,” said Mary Iacovazzi, Student At-Risk Coordinator, Urbandale Community High School. “I know students would leave high school prepared to live independently and financially responsible.
The educator’s award is underwritten by the Iowa Credit Union Foundation and was presented at the Jump$tart conference by Marybeth Foster, Executive Director of Iowa Credit Union Foundation. The conference featured lectures, hands-on activities, and trends in financial management. Educators received classroom materials and teaching strategies on credit cards, consumer debt, insurance, identity theft, saving, investing, and more.
The Iowa Jump$tart Coalition, established in 2000, is a public-private partnership of organizations, supported of volunteers, and dedicated to improving the financial literacy of Iowa youth. More information can be found at http://www.iajumpstart.org.