Whitefish High School Students Take Over Credit Union Board

Whitefish, MT, February 26, 2012 --(PR.com)-- Although homework and hall passes are still daily concerns, seven Whitefish High School (WHS) students may have just become the most influential teenagers in northwest Montana.

The students, four seniors and three juniors, were recently hand selected by WHS from among 232 of their peers to become the first members of Whitefish Credit Union’s (WCU) inaugural junior board of directors. Their duties as junior board members will include conducting their own board meetings, writing articles for WCU’s newsletter and implementing a community service project, said Sue Schenck, Whitefish Credit Union’s business development director.

“One of the really important functions of a credit union, and also part of the credit union philosophy, is financial education,” said Schenck. “This is a great way to get the credit union philosophy out there and hopefully have some fun with these students while we’re doing it.”

During their monthly meetings the students will also spend time learning about the 77-year history of WCU and its place in the communities of northwest Montana. Guest speakers will teach junior board members the grassroots movement that brought about credit unions in America and basic credit union philosophies.

Hailey Vasquez is a senior and president of the Honor Society at WHS. She serves as chairperson of the junior board, and says she’s excited to work with WCU and learn more about the inner workings of a credit union.

“I knew very little about WCU before I joined this program,” said Vasquez. “I was definitely surprised by its size and the depth of its workings. It’s very impressive for such a small town.”

Junior board member Joseph Perry is also a WHS senior and the school’s student body president. He’s kept a 4.0 grade point average throughout high school and hopes to one day have a career working with lasers. Perry says he’s already learned a number of new things about the Credit Union.

“Before being on the junior board of directors, WCU was just the place where my money stayed,” explained Perry. “Now, WCU has a face and is more personal. I have begun to learn what makes WCU tick, what makes it special, and how we can help it grow.”

Also serving on WCU’s junior board are seniors Ally Pickeral and Abby Wagner, the board’s vice chair. Whitefish High School’s junior class is represented by Kelsey McFeely, Perrey Sobba, board secretary, and Rachelle Brown. The junior board of directors will continue meeting monthly until the end of the school year. Schenck said she and WCU “expect great things this year from these amazing students,” and plan to continue the program again with another group of high schoolers in January.

About Whitefish Credit Union:
Whitefish Credit Union is a respected leader in the financial services industry. State chartered in 1934, it has gone on to become the largest credit union in Montana with more than $1 billion in assets. Today, the Whitefish Credit Union manages six branches throughout the state, which serve the financial cooperative’s more than 55,000 members.

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