September 2017 - Madison County Public Schools recently held a "Reality Fair" for the district's ninth graders, and Bear Creek Water Association was pleased to be part of the event, at which students learned about budgeting, writing checks, balancing a checkbook, and making financial decisions. Those decisions included the purchase of a car, a place to live, insurance, groceries, phone, and utilities. The students have been taking lessons on financial literacy, and the event is an opportunity for students to learn about life in the real world.
The event took place over several days at Rosa Scott in Madison. Ninth graders from all over the district attended. Bear Creek Water Association was involved as the representative for utility companies. Ninth graders were assigned a monthly salary based upon their GPA, then required to pay bills and make purchases. Students visited the Bear Creek table to learn about utility usage and billing. They were then required to write a check for utilities and record the payment in their checkbook.
“We represented water, sewer, electric, and sanitation for the purpose of this event,” says Bear Creek General Manager Nolan Williamson. “It's a valuable experience for these kids as they learn about budgets and paying bills, and a great opportunity for us to help our local schools.”
Longtime Bear Creek Water Association employee Judy Richardson has worked the event for several years. She has two grandchildren in the Madison County Public Schools, and both her son and daughter-in-law are local educators. She and fellow Bear Creek employee Jill Vaughn look forward to the event every year, and they hope to be back next September.
See our photo gallery for pictures.