For several weeks in late March and early April, more than 1,500 students from middle and high schools across Kansas competed in the preliminary round of the Kansas Personal Finance Challenge sponsored by the Kansas Council on Economic Education. The KCEE is hosted by the W. Frank Barton School of Business at Wichita State University.

The students were vying for a spot at the state competition, where only the top performers would be invited to compete.

Now the results are in, and the following schools have qualified to participate at the state contest for middle school and high school divisions, respectively: 

Middle Schools – Top Nine Teams from:

• Antioch Middle School
• Hocker Grove Middle School
• Iola Middle School
• Rossville Junior High School
• South Junior High School
• Trailridge Junior High School

High Schools – Top 15 Teams from:

• Beloit High School
• Blue Valley North High School
• Emporia High School
• Garden Plain High School
• Goddard High School
• Newton High School
• Parsons High School
• Salina High School South
• Shawnee Heights High School
• Silver Lake Junior/Senior High School
• Thomas More Prep-Marian High School
• Thunder Ridge High School

At the 2010 State Competition — to be held Wednesday, April 21, on the Wichita State University campus — students will be tested on their knowledge of personal finance, both individually and in teams. Students will get to hear from special guest Dennis McKinney, the current Kansas state treasurer.

Also this year, the Personal Finance Competition has been highlighted by President Obama's recent declaration of April as 2010 National Financial Literacy Month. During his announcement, the president spoke on the importance of teaching both adults and youth how to make wise financial decisions. Organizations and individuals were encouraged to hold activities and programs to meet this objective.

The council's mission is to ensure that Kansas youth are literate in personal finance and economics. The KCEE works directly with teachers and schools to fulfill its mission by providing resources, training, and student programs year-round.

To find out more about KCEE's financial literacy programs and to learn how you can get involved, please visit the website http://kcee.wichita.edu.