On December 16, 2015, all financial literacy classes embarked on a field trip to one of the Junior Achievement Finance Park’s facilities in Edison. The trip’s purpose was to make students cognizant of budgeting money on a set salary. Moreover, another lesson the trip enforced was putting your needs ahead of your wants. Sometimes, you have to give up what you want in order to obtain something that you need. On tablets, students saw what their potential annual salaries. They ranged from about $25,000-$90,000. The next step was budgeting money for needs such as food, health insurance, shelter, and much more. After that, students had to see what options and plans best fit their budget.

Overall, the trip was a success. It truly gave students insight into the adult world and what choices we are going to be making soon. For students who have part-time jobs now, the trip was extremely beneficial because they got to see how imperative it is to have a savings account with a decent amount of money in it. In the end, all of the students who participated on the field trip would like to thank Mrs. Dembowski and Mrs. Tomko for putting the trip together, and Mr. Dembowski and Mr. Farinola for chaperoning!