Friday, Nov. 22, 2002 | 2 a.m.
WEEKEND EDITION: Nov. 23, 2002
Clark High School business teacher Diane Moser has found a clever way to teach her magnet program students about the economy.
Divided into two teams of Supply and Demand, students faced off at the dry-erase board, competing to answer vocabulary questions as their classmates cheered them on.
"When a surplus occurs, it is probable that prices will do what?" Moser asked. "Think of Tickle-Me-Elmo Dolls. When they first came out, they were expensive because there was a shortage."
The game allows students to have fun and compete while studying for a subject many find tedious, Moser said.
Moser's Language of Finance class is a component of the high school's Academy of Finance, in which students prepare for careers in areas such as finance, business or marketing.
In the five years since its formation, the program has attracted about 125 students from neighborhoods throughout the Las Vegas Valley.
The finance academy is one of three magnet programs at Clark High School, which include the Academy for Mathematics, Science and Applied Technology and the Teacher Education Academy of Clark High (TEACH).
Moser said the four-year finance curriculum gives high school students a head start on careers at a time when most teens have given little thought to their future.
"It's never too early to start preparing," she said. "Even if kids don't know exactly what they want to do, they're sure to find something that grabs them. The skills they learn in this program can be used in whatever career they choose to pursue."
Sophomore Noe Santos said he hopes the program will prepare him to major in business economy or accounting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas or the University of Nevada, Reno.
"Most people aren't educated about economics or finance," he said. "I didn't want to be like that. The program teaches basic values that if you don't know now, you'll probably be in trouble later because there will be no one to teach you."
School administrators select teachers with prior business experience to teach finance academy classes, Gerrie Pantle, the school's assistant principal, said.
Moser, for instance, worked in advertising before becoming a teacher.
Program administrators also arrange summer internships for students with companies valleywide, Moser said.
The mentorship component, which begins during the student's sophomore year, pairs students with local business professionals.
Paul Stowell, senior vice president of Business Bank of Nevada and an academy mentor, said he tries to give his student a bird's-eye view of what he does on a daily basis.
"My goal is to open up a world of opportunity for my student to not only look at marketing as an area to pursue but also public relations or journalism," he said. "I also want to teach him the basic fundamentals of meeting deadlines, being reliable and responsibility."
Students are admitted to the program by application only. Applicants must have a C grade average or better and must submit two letters of recommendation.
While program administrators recruit students from local middle schools, students can also apply during their sophomore year of high school.
Once students are accepted to the program, they are automatically zoned for Clark High School and can be transported to and from school on designated buses.
Students enrolled in the program must take classes outlined in the finance academy curriculum in addition to the school's general curriculum classes.
Freshman and sophomore students must choose from classes that have such college-sounding names as Business Computer Applications and Careers in Financial Services.
Juniors and seniors take classes such as Economics and the World of Finance, International Finance and Issues in Management.
But beyond preparing students for college, Moser said, the classes also help young people understand the importance of handling their own money.
"As a society we live so much on credit that people are living beyond their means," she said. "And it's not just kids, it's adults as well. Money problems can cause so many other stressors in life."
Sophomore Jesse Snyder is already applying to his own life the lessons he learns in class. He saves about 40 percent of his earnings as kitchen help at the Outback Steak House.
Snyder said the money problems that plagued his family during his childhood sparked his desire to enroll in the academy.
"My family wasn't really good at handling money and it really messed things up," he said. "If nothing else, this program will teach me how to manage my finances. I wish my family would have had something like this."
Carina Llamas, also a sophomore, said she enrolled in the program last year because she hopes to one day manage her own real estate company.
"When my parents were buying our house, we had a bad experience with one of our agents," she said. "I think I could do a better job."
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