BY STEPHEN H. COWLES/CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Playback58@gmail.com

COURTLAND—The Southampton County High School students adept at economic and personal finance literacy are taking their skills to a challenging level today, April 20.

That’s when the Governor’s Challenge in Economics and Personal Finance is happening at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.

The event is co-hosted by the governor’s office, the state Department of Education and the Virginia Council on Economic Education.

Judi Crenshaw, communications and marketing manager for the VCEE, said the contest has been taking place since 2001, and was previously called The Economic Challenge.

“This year, Gov. Bob McDonnell’s office and the education department wanted to help promote the new required high school course in economics and personal finance,” said Crenshaw.

Southampton High qualified because it was the winner for the Tidewater region in the David Ricardo Division (economics).

That competition took place online.

Crenshaw believes today’s competition is a first for Southampton, which will be one of 34 schools from 26 counties involved.

Virginia public school students, starting with the ninth-grade, must take a class in economics and personal finance to graduate. The goal is to prepare them for both subjects in practical ways.

The winners of today’s events in the divisions of economics, advanced economics and personal finance will get a paid trip to the national competition in New York City. Southampton has a great chance,” said Crenshaw.

The winners of that event would receive U.S. Savings Bonds of a significant amount, trophies and various other prizes such as Kindles and other products.