By EMILY SPARACINO / Staff Writer

CHELSEA – As Chelsea High School sophomores Mary Helen Lang and Josh Isaac approached a table labeled “That’s Life” in the school’s library on March 18, they found a range of potential expenses and sources of revenue they could encounter in the real world.

University of Montevallo Community Relations Manager Carol Bruser greeted Lang and Isaac, and invited them to spin a wheel to see which mock expense or profit they could add to their balance sheets as part of the Greater Shelby County Chamber of Commerce’s Keeping It Real program.

“You woke up, it’s a new day,” Bruser said. “What’s going to happen?”

“I hope something good,” Lang relied before spinning the wheel of chance and landing on a $500 tax return space.

Isaac was not as fortunate. His spin landed him on a space for a $250 speeding ticket.

Even so, Isaac said the program offered a “good learning experience.”

“I think it’s very beneficial for everybody because teens don’t realize the cost of everything you have to buy,” Lang said. “That’s a lot to think about.”

This marks the third year the GSCCC has held the program for local high school students. Each student is given a specific life scenario––including education level, job, income, marital status, number of children––and they must manage a bank account based on a budget tailored to their scenario.

Tables set up in the CHHS library contained real-life expenses students will encounter, such as housing, transportation, insurance, groceries, utilities and entertainment.

Sara Holley, who oversaw the “Groceries” table, asked a group of students if they were surprised by the prices of groceries at various stores.

“Yeah, they’re pretty high,” sophomore Keanu Dickinson said.

“It’s fun to see the light bulb go on,” GSCCC Executive Director Kirk Mancer said. “It’s another great opportunity to interact with students. They’re Shelby County businesses’ future workforce, so we feel like it’s important for them to have as much information as possible.”

 

More than 200 students participated in the March 18 program at CHHS.

“It’s funny to see their reactions,” Holley said. “It’s nice seeing so many people taking it seriously.”