Orlando to host 2019 National LifeSmarts Championship event April 13-16
April 12, 2019
25th annual national teen consumer literacy competition will feature 40 champion teams from across the country
For immediate release: April 12, 2019
Contact: Carol McKay, National Consumers League, carolm@nclnet.org, (724) 799-5392
Washington, DC — In celebration of Financial Literacy Month in April, the National Consumers League (NCL) has announced the 40 champion teams that have earned a spot at the 2019 National LifeSmarts Championship, which will take place starting tomorrow in Orlando, Florida. The event will kick off Saturday, April 13, at the B Resort and Spa in the Disney Springs Resort Area.
LifeSmarts (LifeSmarts.org), a national consumer literacy scholarship competition, is celebrating its 25th anniversary season this year and is hosted by NCL, the nation’s oldest consumer watchdog organization. The 2019 National LifeSmarts Champion team will be crowned on Tuesday, April 16.
Complete roster of state champions teams listed below.
LifeSmarts is a competitive educational and scholarship program, in which teams of students begin online. Top-scorers progress to their state competitions, and then state champion teams meet each April to compete in the National LifeSmarts Championship. This year’s state champion teams hail from as far away as from Honolulu, Hawaii, and from as nearby as Jacksonville.
Consumer-savvy teens representing 31 states, the District of Columbia, and eight wild card teams, will compete at this year’s national event. Throughout the 2018-2019 program year, more than 100,000 teens competed online for a chance to represent their states at the 2019 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. “For 25 years, LifeSmarts has been engaging and educating young consumers in a fun format and with a competitive approach. Our program goes in-depth on the issues kids—and adults—are facing now: finances, health care, the environment, and technology.”
The 2019 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 by demonstrating knowledge in specific program topic areas. The top eight placing teams and top five individuals are recognized, as well as the recipients of specialized scholarships related to community service.
NCL thanks the sponsors who make the program possible including Comcast NBCUniversal, UL, Western Union, and Intuit.
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
Event kickoff + competition and weekend activities
When: Saturday, April 13, 2018 at 4:45 pm through Monday, April 16
Where: The B Resort and Spa, 1905 Hotel Plaza Blvd, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
Final competitions
When: Tuesday, April 16, 2019
Matches begin: 9 am Eastern
Awards Ceremony: 11:30 am – 1:00 pm Eastern
Where: The B Resort and Spa, 1905 Hotel Plaza Blvd, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
Follow the competition online
Parents and teachers can follow the action at Facebook.com/LifeSmarts and via Twitter: #LifeSmarts
The semi-final and final competition matches will be streamed live at LifeSmarts.org onTuesday, April 16, 2019 starting at 9 am Eastern.
2019 LifeSmarts State Champions
AL-Central High School Tuscaloosa – Coach Roslyn Evans
AZ-Flagstaff Home Educators – Coach Christina Blanchard
CA-Abraham Lincoln High School – Coach Wendy Estrada
CO-Vista Ridge High School – Coach Sahvanna Mease
CT-Crosby High School – Coach Kelly Donohue
DC-McKinley Technology High School – Coach Sarah Elwell
DE-Salesianum School – Coach Maribeth Jaeske
FL-Duval County 4-H – Coach Meri Read
GA-Bartow County 4-H – Coach Kim Payne
HI-‘Iolani School – Coach James Rubasch
IL-West Chicago High School – Coach Don Zabelin
IN-Franklin County High School – Coach Diane Slaven
KS-Haven High School – Coach Vicki Galloway
KY-Webster County 4-H – Coach Wade Raymer
LA-Acadiana High School – Coach Stephanie Bennett
ME-Waynflete School – Coach Steve Withers
MI-Fenton High School – Coach Bruce Burwitz
MN-Willow River Area High School – Coach Melissa Johnson
MO-Buffalo High School – Coach Sara Gallivan
NC-Union Academy – Coach Kim Kirk
ND-Burke Central High School – Coach Erika Landro
NH-Mascoma Valley Regional High School – Coach Shawn Joyce
OK-Pryor High School – Coach Sharon Rash
PA-Dallas High School – Coach Kevin West
RI-Barrington High School – Coach Sam Schachter
TN-Marion County 4-H – Coach Vicki Lofty
TX-Hargrave High School – Coach Graceanna Simpson
VA-Massaponax High School – Coach Ginger Walters
WA-New Market Skills Center – Coach Stephanie Tocher
WI-Oconto High School – Coach Alissa Boucher
WV-John Marshall High School – Coach Megan Pintus
WY-Buffalo High School – Coach Kami Kennedy
Qualified for the LifeSmarts National Championship through an Automatic Bid process:
4-H Wild Card-Oconee County 4-H – Coach Allison Barnes
FBLA Wild Card-West Carteret High School – Coach Mark Thompson
FCCLA Wild Card-Selah High School – Coach Michelle McCartney
Varsity Wild Card 1-Midcities Montessori – Coach Cristina VanGilder
Varsity Wild Card 2-Chattooga County 4-H – Coach Rebecca Thomas
At-large Wild Card 1-Blair Oaks High School – Coach Linda Cumpton
At-large Wild Card 2-Henrico County 4-H – Coach Jennifer Raub
At-large Wild Card 3-Ritchie County High School – Coach Sonya Haught
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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.
