Needham High School’s Personal Finance Class Visits with Local Bank

NEEDHAM, MA---Needham High School and Needham Bank continued their educational collaboration, with three personal finance classes visiting the Bank to take part in financial education. NHS teachers Adam Cole, Jane Chinnaswamy and Hans Batra spend time in the classroom connecting their lesson plans with the “real world” and for their personal finance curriculum, they have found a great educational partner in Needham Bank.

“We started partnering with Needham Bank in the fall semester last year for this specific course. The kids responded really well and were able to apply what they learned in class to how the Bank operates. This partnership provides fantastic insight for our students and is a valuable learning resource for them,” stated teacher Jane Chinnaswamy.

The classes visit with Needham Bank’s John Whittaker, Vice President, and Erica McLaughlin, Community Relations Manager, to spend time discussing the different types of accounts, basics of credit, how banks design their lending products, how the different types of financial institutions operate, and basics of setting a personal budget. In addition to finance, John and Erica also share with the seniors stories regarding their respective career paths and what to expect after graduation.

Photo Caption: Hans Batra, Needham High School Personal Finance Teacher, and John Whittaker, Vice President of Needham Bank, with Needham High School Personal Finance Class.

“We have a lot of fun getting to know the students and really explaining to them how and why banks operate in the manner they do. We also really enjoy sharing our personal stories and history with credit cards, finding a job, and an introduction to budgeting for once they are in the work force.” Hans Batra mentioned, “It’s great to be able to show real life examples of our course materials and how they apply locally. Visiting the Bank is just one of the opportunities we provide in this course but it is always one of the more talked about trips when we return to the classroom.”

Teachers Cole, Chinnaswamy, and Batra will also bring their students to visit a local car dealership, real estate office, and participate in mock interviews during the semester long course.