Earlier today, four 5th year business students from Errigal College in Letterkenny were crowned Champions of the Bank of Ireland Money Smarts Challenge 2022, winning their school €15,000 in the process!
Jodie, Lilli, Holly, and Mairead are students of Mr. Evan Gorrell’s 5th year Business class at Errigal College.
The students had previously won their Ulster/Dublin Regional Final in March and have been extremely busy over the last number of weeks preparing to compete against the other 11 finalists.
Over 600 post-primary schools from across the country entered the virtual competition this year and this amazing group of students came out on top.
The students have been under the guidance of Business Studies Teacher, Mr. Evan Gorrell and were also ably assisted by SNA, Mrs. Helen Doherty.
The competition combines financial literacy education with a fun challenge. The quiz focused on the 6 pillars of Financial Wellbeing, these pillars included; Spending and Saving, Earning and Income, Credit and Debt, Investing, Risk and Protection, and Financial Decision Making.
There were six rounds of questions with a time limit for each question.
The students will receive a visit from Bank of Ireland representatives over the coming weeks to present them with their winners trophy.
Speaking after the win, Mr. Gorrell commented: “The Money Smarts Challenge provided me with the opportunity to discuss invaluable topics in a way that brought them to life for the students in the classroom.”
Mr. Gorrell also reported: “We had four teams represent the school at Regional level and despite not progressing to the Grand Final, the other students have been extremely supportive over the last number of weeks. We are absolutely thrilled for this incredible group of students who have put in a lot of hard work after school, at weekends and during the Easter break.”
Lilli said: “We are now able to assist our families with understanding VAT, import duty, and other forms of taxation. It has helped us grow in confidence and build our teamwork and communication skills.
“We have a better appreciation for the importance of Financial Wellbeing and the management of our finances, this is particularly important as we prepare and plan for progressing to third level education in the next few years”
Principal, Mr Danny McFadden, was full of praise for his successful students and Business Studies teacher:
“Today is the culmination of a lot of hard work and behind the scenes preparation from our Business Studies Department. The winning students should be extremely proud of themselves and their achievements.
“This underscores the incredible teaching and learning environment and opportunities we have to offer our students in Errigal College. This is recognition for the work of these students and their wonderful teacher. Congratulations!”