PC students to get a Reality Check

By Staff
Nathan Strickland
PHIL CAMPBELL- Students will be taught some early life lessons Jan. 27 when the Reality Check program is introduced to Phil Campbell freshmen and seniors.
Reality Check is a financial program for youth ages 13-19. It is a simulation of life at age 25. Each student is given a career, level of education, a family situation and a monthly salary. They visit the various real-life stations monitored by volunteers and learn what it takes to make it financially possible. This activity allows youth to experience what it is like to pay bills for one month.
Phil Campbell High School graduation coach Tina King said teens these days have no idea what they are going to encounter after high school.
The idea is for students to pick what kind of job they want for a career, and then see how the income that job brings in compares to their needs and wants in life.
Local businesses will be involved to pose as life obstacles for the students.
Students will even be given a packet to determine the type of family size they expect to have once they have settled in their career. They will be expected to manage budget their income with bills and needs they will be faced with in the future.
King is in her third year as graduation coach and said this program is one of the best programs she has seen since she has taken the position.
King said she heard about the program by word of mouth at a conference she attended in Birmingham and thought it would be beneficial to not just Phil Campbell but to all school systems around this area.
The program is in cooperation with the Franklin County Extension Office. A session for 9th graders is set for 8 - 10 a.m. and a session for 12th graders will follow from 10 a.m.- 12p.m. If any business would like to set up a station for the Reality Check program, contact Tina King at Phil Campbell High School, 331-2150, for more information.