B&E School | 2021

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t’s still summer, but school will be back in session before we know it.

And hopefully the 2021-2022 year represents a full return to normal— without all the distractions of 2020. From a new AISD tech academy to the ways local financial institutions are helping students, this special section is all about education.

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How to (Not) Pay for College

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BY COLTEN HIBBS, EDUCATION CREDIT UNION

he best advice about paying for a college education would be something like, “The best way to pay for college is to try as hard as possible not to pay at all.”

For graduating high school seniors, college becomes more accessible, and more of a societal expectation with each passing year. The costs for higher education also tend to rise with everything else.

Outside of purchasing a home, an education is likely to be the most expensive thing a person buys. But the cost doesn’t have to be too steep for the savvy and dedicated.

There are three primary ways people pay for college, whether they are graduating high school seniors, or nontraditional students: scholarships, grants, and paying out of pocket.

Many people suppose that scholarships are limited to outgoing high school students or current college students, but there are a number of scholarships and grants for non-traditional students. The same resources like CollegeScholarships.org, and UniGo.com—vetted, secure websites that graduating high schoolers are encouraged to visit—also have scholarships available for non-traditional students.

The other common misconception is that someone must be noticed or noteworthy to receive a scholarship.

The majority of people who get scholarships are those who simply apply for them.

The secure websites like the ones mentioned previously not only list the available scholarships, but also allow users to categorize their searches based on qualities like their field of interest, socio-economic

background, religious affiliation, and many more.

In our partnership with West Texas A&M University, ECU Buff $mart, we advocate treating the process of applying for scholarships like a job in and of itself. The goal of ECU Buff $mart is to give participating students the tools and knowledge to graduate college without any student loan debt. Applying for scholarships may be considered tedious or even frustrating, but we encourage those applying for scholarships to think of their last or current job. It is very likely that the job they had or have is more labor intensive (and possibly more frustrating) than filling out paperwork. That’s all applying for scholarships is—paperwork. Again, the application process isn’t a cakewalk, but it is the easiest thousands of dollars that a person can potentially receive.

A former ECU Buff $mart financial coach is the pattern for this way of thinking. She was a foreign exchange student, and as a result only had access to about 49 percent of the scholarships a U.S. citizen could have.

When she returned home during summer and winter breaks, she would close herself in her room for a full work day, and plan out her breaks for lunch and other activities. Then she would “clock in” at her laptop. She spent hours filling out scholarship applications with her favorite television series playing in the background. That ECU Buff $mart financial coach graduated from WTAMU with a degree in Ag Business and $0 in student loan debt.

Her journey wasn’t easy or without complications, but on graduation day those obstacles were nonexistent— just like her student loans.

Grants are similar to scholarships in a number of

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ways, but from a bird’s-eye view, grants tend to be more says to save attending a university until all academic basics need-based than merit-based. Often grants—just like have been completed, or if you don’t need a loan to attend scholarships—do not need to be paid back like a loan. But your first year of higher education at a university. that isn’t always the case. Grants may have certain caveats Some may argue that paying for one class at a time will that require a student to pay back the money they received take too long, is too impractical, or is too expensive. if they don’t complete their education, don’t make the It certainly is possible that it can take longer than getting appropriate grades, or meet other criteria set by a loan and attempting the traditional four-year the grant they accepted. The application process path. But many higher education students is generally the same, and many secure websites already work simultaneously while attending that have scholarships also provide grant school. Not every individual is prepared to applications. handle juggling their education, professional After applying for scholarships and grants, life, and personal life. One class at a time paying out of pocket is the safest and most (especially at the beginning) enables students effective way to pay for higher education. to safely test their limits and still make progress The average tuition for a single course at in a healthy way.

Amarillo College currently sits at just above Student loans are, of course, last resort $300 (depending on the class, availability and options.

Frankly, getting a student loan is the C O LT E N H I B B S Educator and Staff Writer, a number of other factors.) You will hear many same as paying out of pocket except there’s Education Credit Union academians in higher education—including added interest, and the risk of not knowing if Dr. Wendler of WTAMU—encourage students your income in four or more years will cover who need student loans to attend their first year of higher your living expenses combined with student loan payments. education at a community college rather than a university.

Paying for college is a major hurdle for many This is because the credits from community colleges transfer people, but if you do it right, then you won’t have to pay to universities and cost significantly less. General wisdom much at all.

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Learning Good Habits

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TEACHING KIDS FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

rom the first time you dropped a quarter in a piggy bank to the day you opened your first checking account, you’ve been steadily developing financial habits. But were they good habits? That’s not just a question for adults to ask themselves, but also for parents to ask about their children. Children are always watching and always learning. Good financial habits tend to develop from intentional conversations and opportunities. Bad habits seem to develop on their own.

That’s why ANB works hard to give parents plenty of opportunities to help their children learn basic financial literacy, says Lizzie W. Williams, community development director for the family-owned bank. She grew up in a banking family herself. “In our family, the first thing we learned was the value of a dollar,” she says. “We had piggy banks, and then we turned those into a savings account we would contribute to ourselves.”

Now a parent herself, Williams says her twin daughters are learning the same basic cost-of-living lessons. But thanks to ANB’s Student Plastic Account, their early financial literacy is even more advanced than that of her own childhood. Williams grew up with a piggy bank and a passport savings book. Her daughters have their own Plastic debit cards.

“They love the freedom of having their own card,” Williams says of the Visa Check Card that accompanies a Plastic account. “They love being able to grab something at Chick-fil-A or buy a new piece of jewelry for themselves.”

But when a student opens his or her first Plastic account, they don’t just get a cool debit card that works in ATMs. They also gain valuable experience and a safe way to learn basic money management.

Parents can help their kids open a Plastic account at ANB with a $20 minimum deposit. With no daily minimum

balance requirements, Plastic accounts work just like adult checking accounts, with one major bonus: The bank rewards students for good grades. “If you get all As and Bs, bring your report card into the bank every six weeks and we’ll pay you up to $10—up to $60 per year,” Williams says.

Even better, both kids and parents have access to a Plastic account. “I love that from a parenting standpoint, because I have a spender and a saver,” she says of her twins. Transaction notifications by text or email are available to everyone connected to the account. “I can watch what’s going on and help my girls get that sense of keeping control. As a parent, the best part is that they start learning responsibility—what comes in has to be more than what goes out.”

When a Plastic account holder turns 18, their account transitions to a regular checking account at ANB, but Williams says the lessons of Plastic tend to stick around.

“When we explain that you want to buy $100 AirPods but you only have $30 in your account, that makes sense to them,” she says of her daughters. They can see their balance on the ANB app, just like Mom and Dad. “They pay attention. It helps them understand there’s no one else to pay that for you, so they start to learn the skills to save.”

Beyond that benefit, Plastic account holders are slowly building a relationship with a bank like ANB. As they grow older, that familiarity pays off. Former Plastic customers have turned to ANB for their first car loans and first mortgages. “They build a solid financial base and end up becoming good customers. That’s good for them and good for us, too,” says Williams.

Responsible money management starts young, and the convenience of Plastic is clear for parents and kids alike. To apply for a Plastic account, visit ANB.com.

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RENDERING COURTESY OF AMARILLO ISD

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AISD’s New High School Reimagines Career and Technical Education

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BY APRIL M. BROWNLEE, AMARILLO ISD COMMUNICATIONS

n the northeast end of what was once the Sunset Center development sits Amarillo ISD’s AmTech Career Academy. Construction is still underway, but the innovative career and technical education high school will open its doors to the 2,300 students who’ve signed up for AmTech programs when the 2021-2022 school year begins on Aug. 17.

In the 1950s, Sunset Center opened to 100,000 people who came to experience what was thought to be the biggest shopping mall this side of Houston. The mall has long since closed, but a new kind of heyday is on the horizon as AmTech and AISD look to build and energize the local workforce with experiential education that is tailored for the Panhandle and on pace with future career trends.

Amarillo ISD already offers the area’s most robust Career and Technical Education (CTE). Current curriculum includes more than 100 CTE classes, specialty diplomas, professional certification opportunities and the original PRO internship program. Every year, hundreds of AISD seniors graduate with professional certifications tucked in their back pockets. Certificates such as EMTBasic, CNA/CMA, EKG, ServSafe, Certified Veterinary Assistant, and ASE certifications for automotive work give

new graduates the flexibility to work their way through college or transition right into a career.

AmTech reimagines every step of a student’s CTE journey. “Not only is the campus unlike any other school around, but the way we’re approaching education is different too,” says AmTech Principal Jay Barrett.

The District purchased the 16.5 acre, 200,000square-foot building that was home to the city’s original Sears, and later Hastings Entertainment warehouse and operations, in 2017 with the intent of developing a STEM and technology-focused specialty high school to provide early college opportunities, apprenticeships and vital middle skills.

In the months that followed, the District sought input from business and industry leaders in the community to shape the space. In a series of meetings with architects, they helped identify how to best incorporate the area’s trades needs.

With nine different schools of study and 30 pathways that create opportunities for a livable wage right out of high school, AmTech will help students take their learning to the next level, from dreaming to doing.

A real-world approach will offer students training to develop the skills that can take them right into the

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workforce or set them up for success in college. The culinary arts program of study, for example, introduces students to occupations and educational opportunities for planning, directing and coordinating activities of a food and beverage organization, as well as preparing and cooking food. The Hospitality and Tourism Career Cluster focuses on the management, marketing and operations of restaurants and the travel industry. A bistro open to the community will be staffed by students, offering the opportunity to apply what they’ve learned and see their skills in action.

This approach is repeated throughout AmTech with clinical settings for medical, dental and pharmacy programs, a courtroom, a TV studio, a 3,500-square-foot robot and drone coliseum, an advanced mechatronics “Smart Factory,” a complete audio and visual production studio and an Anatomage Theater with the most sophisticated anatomy visualization system typically only seen in higher education.

“The features, the facility and the faculty give students the chance to really explore their passions, their interests and the various career paths that go along with them, all while learning in the most advanced environment possible,” says Superintendent Doug Loomis.

For more information visit amtech.amaisd.org.

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Apply online: myecu.info/AccountOrLoan AP R I L B R OW N L E E April is a Panhandle native and a media and communications professional. She is part of the Lone Star Emmy-winning communications team at Amarillo ISD, sharing with the community the people and programs that make public education in Amarillo top-notch.

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