'It's Super Helpful': Bank Opens Fully Operational Student-Staffed Bank Inside High School
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) - Schools that are looking to offer authentic learning experiences to students can't get much more authentic than opening a real bank.
Elkhart High School in Elkhart, Indiana, now has a fully functioning bank run by students. Lake City Bank, partnering with Elkhart Community Schools, held a soft opening for a new branch on Aug. 23.
"We can open deposit accounts, we can do loans for the teachers, cash checks -- any service you can receive from a standard Lake City Bank location," Chief Retail Officer Stephanie Leniski tells CBS affiliate WSBT.
A branch manager will oversee the three students during business hours. Open for students, faculty, and administration only, the bank is designed to expose students to the world of finance.
"We are engaging them at a younger age with their finances and really truly teaching them how to manage that going forward in the future," Leniski says.
Senior Brad Walker, who works at the school branch as a teller, says it's a chance to see if finance is for him long term.
"I think it's really important for kids our age to learn about banking," he says. "Personally, I didn't know almost anything about it before I started. Now I feel like I know a lot more. I feel a lot more prepared even if I don't go into a career with this, I think it's super helpful to know about this stuff because it's important."
Banks have been opening branches in high schools across the country for several years now. Union Bank, for example, opened a branch at Mountain View High School in El Monte in 2016.
Elkhart School of Business Principal Matt Werbiansky says it gives students a chance to learn financial responsibility along with other valuable work-related skills.
"Interpersonal skills, dealing with the public, dealing with people, communication skills," he says. "Some of those soft skills that whatever your pathway is, those are important to have. Especially when you work with people in the service industry like this."
