Photo by john larson
BACK TO SCHOOL. Jacob Alden, who had Sylvi Boomer as a teacher when he attended Jefferson Elementary School in the 1980s, returned to her class on June 4 to present a lesson to her current students.
June 4 was a homecoming of sorts for Jacob Alden. During the 1984-85 school year he was a student in Sylvi Boomer’s second-grade class at Jefferson Elementary School. Twenty-five years later, he is manager of the Bank of America branch in White Center. On this day, he returned to Boomer’s third-grade class as part of Banker’s Day, a program of Junior Achievement.
It was a different Jefferson that Alden attended while growing up in the North End. The original building was demolished several years ago. While the building is new, his same teacher was there, now teaching third grade. And many of the things he learned apply in his professional life, as he explained to her current students.
Penmanship is one, he noted as he spelled his name on the board.
This program teaches fundamentals of financial literacy, with various topics woven into lesson plans based on grade level. For third grade, the focus is cities and how the children fit into theirs.
Alden had the students split into groups to discuss some fundamental aspects of city zoning – how different areas are set aside for homes, businesses or heavy industry.
“One of the key things you learn in business is how to work in groups,” Alden told his pupils.
Alden was among the volunteers from Bank of America who joined employees of eight other financial institutions – Key Bank, Columbia Bank, Anchor Bank, Sterling Savings Bank, Wells Fargo Bank, Rainier Pacific Bank, U.S. Bank and Commencement Bank – last week and this week for educational sessions that took up the majority of the school day. They were at nine elementary schools – Birney, Lister, Larchmont, Sheridan, McCarver, Point Defiance, Jefferson, Sherman and Franklin.
Sue Elkin, regional director of Junior Achievement, noted this is the seventh year bankers have participated in this effort, which combines financial literacy with elements of social studies.
The organization offers lessons from kindergarten through 12th grade. They are split into five sessions of 45 minutes each.
Third graders learn about cities, as well as workforce readiness and entrepreneurship. “Each program builds upon the last,” she remarked.
The bankers gathered at Jefferson before spreading out across the city. Superintendent Art Jarvis addressed the gathering. By understanding finances, he, his staff and the board were able to save $15 million since last summer, a key reason Tacoma Public Schools has avoided having to layoff employees.
“It does not take a genius, but it does take an understanding of financial literacy,” Jarvis said. He thanked the bankers for preparing the children for the future. “We need them to solve the problems the rest of us have caused.”
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