C-NS Money and Banking Students Get Hands-on Lesson in Home-Ownership

On Friday September 13, students from Cicero-North Syracuse High School’s Money & Banking classes participated in Home HeadQuarter’s Annual Block Blitz. Led by C-NS teacher Mark Vinnette and C-NS Career Education Coordinator Erin Deaver, students spent the day working at Syracuse’s Leavenworth Park and the surrounding west-side community doing outdoor jobs such as painting, landscaping, raking, gardening and mulching. 

Block Blitz is an annual community revitalization to landscape, paint, and repair as many homes as possible in a single day in a high-need neighborhood. The students from C-NS spent the sunny Friday morning outside and were happy to work alongside hundreds of homeowners, community partners, skilled laborers, and volunteers.

“Business courses at C-NS are designed to meet the needs of all students. With one of the most basic needs being home-ownership, we feel as though participation in this event gives students a true look into the future,” said Mark Vinnette. “This experience helps our students learn about the basics of household upkeep while providing service to the community.”

As a follow up to the volunteer work, Home Headquarters Homeownership Counselor Jenna McClave will visit C-NS’s Money and Banking Classes to bring the lesson on home ownership full circle. Jenna will give the students pertinent information on things they can be doing now to prepare to someday buy and own a home, including the importance of keeping their student loan debt in check while selecting where to attend college.

Students in C-NS Money and Banking classes are responsible for operating the school’s student-led credit union: the Northstar Branch of the CORE Federal Credit Union, providing them the unique experience to learn how financial institutions function from the inside.  Involvement in the Block Blitz is one of the many real life, hands-on learning opportunities provided by CORE’s student run credit unions and student financial literacy programs. CORE Credit Union provided t-shirts, lunch and bus transportation.