Shenandoah Valley - Economic Eeducation Inc.

In this year’s competition, first prize in the primary division for grades K-2 went to Susan Eckenrode of John Wayland Elementary School for “Let’s Buy Our Valentine Candy.” For Eckenrode’s project, second graders learned about money and scarcity in visiting an in-class candy store.

First place in the intermediate division for grades 3-5 was won by Maria Blair and Tammy Shearer for “Building Communities Together – One Tree at a Time.” Blair is assistant principal at Plains Elementary School and Shearer is assistant principal at John C. Myers Elementary School. Their project united students from Plains and Myers in a comprehensive unit that culminated in a memorial tree planting.

This year, first place in the middle school division went to Jeremy Aldrich of Thomas Harrison Middle School for “Making a Difference Through Microlending: Real-World Economics Lessons for Foreign Language and Social Studies Classes.” Aldrich’s eighth grade French students learned about the power of entrepreneurship and microlending to improve lives through the project, which was focused on French-speaking African countries.

Second place in the middle school division was won by Paul Yoder of Thomas Harrison Middle School for his “Great Depression Game,” which showed seventh graders the impact of the Great Depression and the New Deal.

All of the local projects went to state competition sponsored by the Virginia Council on Economic Education. Economic education locally is supported by Shenandoah Valley Economic Education Inc., a nonprofit organization that combines business and school contributions to fund the field work of the James Madison University Center for Economic Education.