By GRAHAM BROOKS / Staff Writer

HELENA–Freshmen at Helena High School got a glimpse of how the adult world works as the Greater Shelby County Chamber of Commerce traveled to HHS to present their “Keeping it Real” Program March 2-3.

A variety of stations were set up in the school’s media center as students were given an educational level, career, marital status and certain number of kids and then had to budget for their lives in a mock scenario.

A variety of volunteers helped manage the different stations and one of those helping with the transportation station was Preston Combellick.

Combellick works for The Home Depot in the supply chain department and has volunteered a number of times to help with the program.

“It’s just interesting to see the students thought process and sometimes they don’t think about the whole picture,” said Combellick. “For instance, when choosing a car in their budget I had some students just choose one car and then when I asked what their spouse would drive they would answer saying ‘I’m not sure or wait I need to get two cars?’”

In addition to choosing transportation, students had to account for the cost of insurance, housing, childcare, clothing, unexpected life expenses and more.

Ninth grade students Serena Lucas, Molly Brumfield and Austin Laatsch all participated in the program and expressed their thoughts on the costs of living.

Lucas was given the career of exhibit designer and was surprised at how much housing cost.

“On housing, it was a lot more especially for apartments than I was expecting even for just a one bedroom,” said Lucas.

Brumfield received the career of a mechanic and reiterated that it was tough trying to stay within budget while making decisions.

“It was a little harder to make decisions with a certain amount of money,” said Brumfield.

“I was just surprised at how much stuff cost and I didn’t really realize that before,” Laatsch said when asked what surprised him the most about the program.

The GSCCC has traveled to different schools throughout Shelby County for the past three years offering the “Keeping it Real” Program and GSCCC President and CEO Kirk Mancer said in addition to going to different stations and budgeting, the program also teaches advice for the business world.

“We offer the students demographic information including the likelihood of earning a living based on how much education they’ve completed,” said Mancer. “They learn to understand that someone with a college degree will earn much more than someone who doesn’t finish high school.”