When business teacher Jaime Nicks at Sandy Creek High heard about the newly launched National Financial Capability Challenge, she couldn’t pass it up.
Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced the Challenge in December 2009 to promote financial education among high school students across the country. More than 76,000 high school students and 2,500 educators participated.

Students in Nicks’ class proved they could successfully manage their personal finances by scoring in the top 20 percent of all students nationwide. A total of 12 students at Sandy Creek were among 14,433 in the country and 87 in Georgia who ranked in the top 20 percent. The students are Arthur Cisneros, Stefon Combs, Tommy Harvey, Chris Matthews, James Morgan, Christopher Powell, John Register, Joshua Reynolds, Devin Smith, Michael Spaulding, A’isha Williams, and Cory Woods.

Nicks makes it her goal to educate her students on all aspects of finances so that they are better prepared for the future. This includes saving for college, knowing about credit and being conscientious consumers.

“No matter what age a person is, one of the most common hardships in life is falling into financial pitfalls. Through the Challenge, I was able to assess how my students compare to those around the nation. We are obviously on the right track. I am very proud of their scores,” said Nicks.

Each of the students will receive official award certificates. They were the only participants from Fayette in the top 20 percent.