Deer Park Junior Ambassadors host ‘Game of Life’ education event thanks to Shell community grant
Jun 19, 2023
Supporters enable nearly 1,000 ninth-graders to learn about careers, finances, budgets and more.
Addressing the need for students to be more familiar with “real-world” activities such as banking and purchasing decisions, the Deer Park Chamber Foundation’s Junior Ambassadors took on the challenge of organizing a “Game of Life” event that reached nearly 1,000 ninth-grade students in the Deer Park Independent School District (DPISD).
The Foundation was created by the Deer Park Chamber of Commerce, and in its first year there were 17 DPISD juniors and seniors participating in the Junior Ambassadors program. Its goals include connecting students with local business leaders, promoting financial planning education and ensuring the community will have strong leadership in the future.
The Game of Life took place at Deer Park High School-North Campus in mid-May. Held during their math classes, the students were assigned a career and a salary before visiting 20 career booths and 12 budgeting booths to learn about a wide variety of opportunities and choices available to them. The goal was to create a budget that would fund their lifestyle without going into debt.
“The Junior Ambassadors essentially coordinated the entire day with supervision from the chamber and the school’s Continuing Technical Education staff,” says Deer Park Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Paula Moorhaj. “In addition to managing events like this, the Junior Ambassadors attend brief weekly meetings to interact with business professionals and community leaders.”
‘That was really fun’
Moorhaj reports that the event was well-received with lots of enthusiasm among the participants. Each got to spin a wheel at the end that either brought an added expense or bonus income to their completed budgets. “I overheard one student telling his friend ‘that was really fun,’” she said.
Three of the Junior Ambassadors took advantage of a scholarship offering to support their ongoing education. Congratulations to Blake Davis, Naomi Garza and Ava Sabo.
Funding support for the event and the scholarships came from the 2022 Shell Deer Park Chemicals Community Grants program, which annually funds non-profit organizations in Deer Park, La Porte and Pasadena, Texas. Other sponsors for the Game of Life included:
Learn more about eligibility to participate in the Shell Deer Park Chemicals Community Grants program.
The Deer Park Chamber Foundation’s Junior Ambassadors hosted nearly 1,000 ninth-grade students in a “Game of Life” activity that offered information about careers, financing and developing a budget. For more event photos, click here.
The Deer Park Chamber Foundation’s Junior Ambassadors hosted nearly 1,000 ninth-grade students in a “Game of Life” activity that offered information about careers, financing and developing a budget. For more event photos, click here.
The Deer Park Chamber Foundation’s Junior Ambassadors hosted nearly 1,000 ninth-grade students in a “Game of Life” activity that offered information about careers, financing and developing a budget. For more event photos, click here.
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