DHS classes excel in H&R Block competition
Submitted Photos
The H&R Block Budget Challenge is a free teen financial literacy program in the form of an online game that simulates real life as an adult: paying bills, managing expenses, saving money, investing in retirement, paying taxes, unexpected events and more. Participants play classroom against classroom and students against students in the learning-by-doing simulation. The program is available to 195,000 students for the 2016-17 school year. Dunkirk High School had 37 students playing in the competition. In this 10-week simulation, students from every state were competing against over 25,000 participants on 1,166 teams throughout the country. The students were having fun while developing positive financial habits for the future. Teacher Donna Pucciarelli had two teams competing in the Budget Challenge. They were the Period 2–Marauder Magic Team finishing 74th out of 1,166 teams. Magic Team’s top three finishers were: Jared DeJesus, Genielle Byczynski and Yeidy Santiago. The Period 9–Marauder Pride Team finished in 70th place. What’s even more impressive about the Marauder Pride Team is that Teyha Sharp finished in first place on the Pride Team with a national rank of 598 and Olivia Yerico-Piazza finished in second place on the Pride Team with a national rank of 669 overall, among the 25,000+ students in the simulation. Third place finisher on the Pride Team was Kayleigh Kujawa. Congratulations to the Magic Team and the Pride Team, and to Teyha and Olivia on an outstanding competition! Financial literacy certificates were given to all simulation participants. Pictured above is the Period 9 team; below is the Period 2 team.


