Northampton Area School District student Weston Ladd and teacher Melinda McCann won second place in the Northampton County Spring Investing Challenge, part of the comprehensive Personal Finance Lab, in the middle school division, recently.

Brighter Financial Futures and Fidelity Banks recognized and congratulated Weston and McCann on this accomplishment.

“Your hard work does not go unrecognized,” Brighter Financial Futures said.

All students in grades K-12 can have full access to the Personal Finance Lab, free of charge, thanks to the sponsorship of Fidelity Bank.

“This world-class, online platform and curriculum includes the Personal Budgeting Game, online learning with certifications in personal finance and the Investing Challenge,” Brighter Financial Futures said.

There are a total of 12 competitions. Students learn by using the curriculum and lessons and playing with budgeting and investing replications.

“The platform provides lessons, assignments and grading for seamless teacher management, as well as the superior gamification of the Personal Budgeting Game and Investing Challenge,” Brighter Financial Futures said.

Competitions are completed in classrooms around the state and county.

To sign up your school for the competition, visit brighterfinancialfutures.org.

“Brighter Financial Futures is a 501(c)3 organization and approved by Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic Development as an educational improvement organization. The competitions and programs result in more than 25,000 student registrations in Pennsylvania. Training and support are provided to hundreds of teachers.

“The goal is to showcase exceptional talent from business, education and government. The entrepreneurship program, Dream-Learn-Pitch, allows students to learn through our online curriculum, at entrepreneurship conferences or independently with their teachers. Students can upload their Elevator Pitch to win prizes up to $10,000 and, additionally, up to $40,000 in college scholarships,” according to Brighter Financial Futures.

Visit dreamlearnpitch.org/win for details.