Press Releases

Mad About Money Comes to Johnstown-Area High School

PICPA Sponsors Statewide Tour of Financial Literacy Performance

PHILADELPHIA – Teenagers know how to spend money, but do they know how to manage it? Richland High School is taking a comedic approach to teaching this important life lesson, not in the classroom, but on the stage, as they host Mad About Money on April 9.

Starting April 8, thousands of high school students across Pennsylvania will get a lesson in financial literacy, courtesy of Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) and The National Theatre for Children. The live in-school theater show Mad About Money will address the principles of saving and spending with its unique mixture of personal finance techniques and humor. Actors use different character types through several skits to engage the audience, asking them to call out answers to questions and to be part of the show.

In a survey administered by the Jump$tart Coalition, 65 percent of high school seniors, on average, failed a test of their knowledge of personal-finance basics. “Obviously, students need help in this area,” says Bert Trexler, PICPA CEO. “Nationally, the CPA profession has been a leader in providing financial literacy resources to consumers through programs and the Web site 360financialliteracy.org. Developing programs for high school students is a natural progression of this initiative.”

“Financial literacy is unacceptably low in this country,” says Lewis Mandell, PhD, professor of finance and managerial economies at State University of New York at Buffalo. “Having evaluated the impact of National Theatre for Children’s financial-literacy programs on students’ attitudes toward managing their finances, we know that shows like Mad About Money are an effective way to improve their knowledge about saving and budgeting.”

Richland High School in Johnstown is the second high school in Pennsylvania to host the Mad About Money program. The school will have two performances for students.

To schedule an interview with a CPA and the educators who brought this program to their schools, please call Kathleen Miller at (215) 972-6188 or Jim DeLuccia at (267) 675-6255.

PICPA and Financial Literacy
Founded in 1897, Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants is a professional association of more than 19,000 CPAs who work in public accounting, industry, government, and education. Each year, members reach the general public by speaking to the media regarding financial literacy topics and by serving as speakers for PICPA’s Money & Life financial literacy programs. Visit the Consumer section of www.picpa.org to learn more.

The National Theatre for Children (NTC)
Based in Minneapolis, NTC has developed the art of teaching through live theatre into an evidence-based science of its own. NTC has pioneered extremely successful programs in health, science, social studies, reading, and math. For more information, visit the NTC Web site at www.nationaltheatre.com.