Commonwealth of Virginia

Office of Governor Ralph Northam

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 20, 2018

Office of the Governor

Contact: Brian Coy
Phone: (804) 225-4260
Email: brian.coy@governor.virginia.gov
Virginia Council on Economic Education
Contact: Judi Crenshaw, VCEE Director of Communications
Phone: (804) 827-7402
Email: shfinley@vcu.edu

Governor Northam Announces 2018 Governor’s

Challenge Champions in Economics & Personal Finance
~ Three Virginia High School Teams Crowned State Champions
at Competition of Economics and Financial Skill ~
Richmond, VA – Governor Ralph Northam today announced the winners of the 2018
Governor’s Challenge in Economics and Personal Finance. Over 2,300 high school students from
all across the Commonwealth took part in this challenge.

From the online competition, 150 students were invited to participate in the day-long
championship competition held at Capital One in Richmond on April 20th.

“I would like to congratulate all of the winners of the 2018 Governor’s Challenge in Economics
and Personal Finance,” Governor Northam said. “Developing and honing skills in personal
finance and sound economic decision-making are essential to ensuring life-long success in the
new Virginia Economy. These are kinds of high-demand skills that employers the world over
are looking for, and the winners we are announcing today prove that the Commonwealth is ready
to answer the call.”

The winners were from:

David Ricardo Division (Economics)

1st place: Appomattox Regional Governor’s School, Chesterfield, Teacher: Emily Hardesty
Runner up: Faith Christian Academy, private school, Teacher: Tracey Fox
Adam Smith Division (Advanced Economics)
1st Place: Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Fairfax County,
Teacher: Richard Monteverde
Runner up: Maggie Walker Governor’s School, Richmond, Teacher: Julius Oreska

Personal Finance Division

1st Place: Nansemond River High School, City of Suffolk, Teacher: Jason Bartholomew
Runner up: Glen Allen High School, Henrico County, Teacher: Patricia Adams

The Governor’s Challenge is conducted in partnership with the Virginia Council on Economic
Education (VCEE), a nonprofit public-private partnership focused on enhancing K-12 economics
and financial education.

“Now more than ever, high-quality economic education is a vital part of preparing our students
for the demands of the 21st century workforce,” said Virginia Secretary of Education Atif
Qarni. “As a national leader in developing personal finance requirements for our students, we
are committed to preparing students to become smarter and more thoughtful consumers.”

Virginia leads the way in requiring its students to earn a credit in economics and personal finance
in order to graduate from high school. VCEE has been a key partner in providing professional
development and creative classroom resources to assist teachers who are teaching this course.
The Governor’s Challenge is one of many programs which enhance classroom learning and help
build on economic concepts to equip students with skills needed for more informed decision
making.

“Congratulations to the winning teams and their teachers and to all of this year’s Governor’s
Challenge participants,” Acting Superintendent of Public Instruction Steven M. Constantino
said. “The challenge is a great opportunity for students to apply what they have learned and for
schools to earn recognition for their success in preparing students to be smart consumers, savers,
investors, entrepreneurs and citizens.”

Capital One provided financial support to make the Governor’s Challenge possible.

Visit http://www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/economics_personal_finance/index.shtml and

www.vcee.org to learn more about the Governor’s Challenge and other efforts to promote
economic and financial education for Virginia’s students.

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