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Show "Reality Town" Is a Reality Check For Students at PGJHS . - - ' " I L , . - "Reality Town" is like a giant board game in which students learn valuable life lessons. The students were also taught how to write checks, and balance a checkbook. Photo courtesy of Timpanojjos Times Pleasant Grove Junior High School counselors proudly prepared for the eleventh year of "Reality Town" which was held on Friday, November 12. "Reality Town" is like a giant board game in which students learn valuable life lessons. This event was beneficial for the development develop-ment of students current goals and preparing for the future. It offered the students stu-dents a real world view of how adults choose a career, educational goals, and deal with financial obligations. The students were taught how to write checks, balance bal-ance checkbooks, and how to make a budget decisions regarding the maintenance of a home, medical bills, utility payments, insurance, and other common expenses. expens-es. Over 100 volunteers helped with the event which included teachers, PTA members, community members mem-bers as well as businesses. Volunteers helped students at the various booths by educating students further on how to spend their money mon-ey wisely and help them to make calculated decisions. Counselor Paula Bule said, "Reality Town is a curriculum cur-riculum that they have. The kids are 30 years old now, with a spouse and kids, a job. It's a job based on their GPA. At the beginning, they go into the auditorium. They are handed their books and checkbooks, so they're all excited and they're reading read-ing their little scenarios. The kids submitted pictures and saw a slide presentation presenta-tion that involved marriage, having babies, graduation, so it is their families in the pictures. It is them as kids and their families growing grow-ing up. The students chose their job. I hope they understand under-stand that planning for your future is really important. They need to start thinking about it now," stated Bule. Students shared what they had learned from this experience and how that information in-formation would help them in the future. Dalton Michael Mi-chael Noyes said, "A lot of things don't matter like entertainment, en-tertainment, a lot of luxury. You need to get to the important im-portant stuff first before you get the stuff that you actu-. actu-. ally want. It really gave me. a rain check, an eye opener, on how expensive things are and how much you actually get income and stuff." Katie Marugg stated, "I need to get a less expensive taste. I need to either find a better occupation or find a better way to make more money." mon-ey." Kaylee Thorne shared her thoughts, "I learned tO marry a husband who works and to try and get a job that makes more money." Eight grader Gabryela Reyes admitted, "Reality is really hard. It is expensive and you need an education to get a better job." Brae Young learned, "Life has a lot of unexpected events. That's for sure. It will help me know what to expect so that I can prepare for it more, to see what I need to do to get the job that I need." Angel Cook was frustrated with her scenario because she had to have three jobs and work seven days a week. "That would not happen because be-cause I would not be able to see my kids," she said. "I'm not going to work and support sup-port my husband. He is go ing to go to work to support me." Principal Brian Jolley summed it up, "I think it is great! I think any time you get a chance to have the kids take and connect what they do every day at school and connect it to their current cur-rent life and their future life, they're going to start thinking think-ing about the choices they make now and how it affects their long term future." ' i r,,- ; - 1 i , ' - - Valley View students that participated in the 2010 Reflections program. Photo courtesy of Cyd LeMone |