Final Four determined at annual national consumer literacy championship in Orlando – National Consumers League

April 28, 2014

Contact: Carol McKay, carolm@nclnet.org, (724) 799-5392

Orlando, FL–The final four state champion teams that are headed to the final day of competition at the 2014 National LifeSmarts Championship, happening in Orlando this week, have been determined! They are:

New Hampshire: Mascoma Valley Regional High School, Coach Shawn Joyce
Massachusetts: Milton High School, Coach Nancy Mikels
Florida: Paxon School, Coach Kathie Loggie
Rhode Island: Barrington High School, Coach Karen Proule

In celebration of April’s Financial Literacy Month, the National Consumers League (NCL) is hosting the 20th annual LifeSmarts Championship event at Orlando’s Walt Disney World. LifeSmarts (www.lifesmarts.org) educates teens and tweens on real-world financial and consumer literacy issues. The National Consumers League will crown the 2014 national champion team on Tuesday, April 29 at 12 noon EDT. The defending champion team from Jacksonville, Florida, will face off against Massachusetts in the first match of the morning. Rhode Island and New Hampshire will compete in the second semi-final. 

LifeSmarts is a competitive educational program, in which teams of students begin competition online. Top-scorers progress to state competitions, and state champion teams meet each April to compete in the National LifeSmarts Championship. This year’s lineup of state champion teams come from as far as Honolulu, Hawaii and as near as the Florida team from Jacksonville. For a complete list of state champions, visit www.lifesmarts.org.

The 2014 National LifeSmarts Champion and other winning teams will walk away with prizes and scholarships. In addition to placing as a team, individual students have the opportunity to compete for scholarships for demonstrating knowledge in specific program topic areas. The top eight placing teams and top five individuals are recognized. NCL thanks the sponsors who make the program possible, including Visa, UL, Western Union, Experian, Google, McNeil Consumer Healthcare, Comcast, and Microsoft.

Consumer-savvy teens representing 34 states have competed at this year’s national event. Throughout the 2013-2014 program year, more than 15,000 teens competed online for a chance to represent their states at the 2014 National LifeSmarts Championship. Players answered more than 3 million consumer questions in the online competition.

“We are so proud of this year’s state LifeSmarts champions, who have proven themselves to be the best and the brightest of the next generation of consumers,” said Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director. “LifeSmarts is fun and fast, and the perfect vehicle for educating young consumers. Our program goes in-depth on the issues kids—and adults—are facing now: making smart choices with financial resources, health care, environmental concerns, and how technology affects our lives.”

Watch this year’s final and semi-final matches live at www.lifesmarts.org!

Live from Orlando tomorrow, Tuesday, April 29

9 am – Massachusetts vs. Florida
9:45 am – Rhode Island vs. New Hampshire

The final match will begin immediately following the second semi-final match.

Follow the conversation on Twitter at #LifeSmarts

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About the National Consumers League and LifeSmarts

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

LifeSmarts is a program of the National Consumers League. State coordinators run the programs on a volunteer basis. For more information, visit: www.lifesmarts.org, email   lifesmarts@nclnet.org, or call the National Consumers League’s communications department at 202-835-3323.