News

blackhistorymonth Reading Makes Cents book feature: Whoosh!: Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions — Author: Chris Barton | Illustrator: Don Tate

This book chronicles the life and achievements of the NASA engineer and inventor Lonnie Johnson. He holds over 80 patents and unexpectedly invented one of the most popular toys of all time – the Super Soaker.

Program courtesy of: Virginia Council on Economic Education & Virginia529

blackhistorymonth Reading Makes Cents book feature: The Secret Garden of George Washington Carver — Author: Gene Barretta | Illustrator: Frank Morrison

The inspirational story of George Washington Carver and his childhood secret garden is brought to life in this picture book biography. His garden helped him develop a love of nature that shaped his adult achievements as a botanist, scientist, and inventor.

Program courtesy of: Virginia Council on Economic Education & Virginia529

THE CNU CENTER FOR ECONOMIC EDUCATION IS NOW REESTABLISHED

The Department of Economics at Christopher Newport University is pleased to announce the reestablishment of the Center for Economic Education.

The Center is supported by a grant from the Virginia Council on Economic Education (VCEE). The Center will assist the Tidewater region in teaching economics and personal finance to all students from elementary through high school, using a train-the-trainers model. The Center will serve the cities of Chesapeake, Franklin, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Sussex, and Virginia Beach, and seven surrounding counties.

Dr. Rik Chakraborti has been named the Director (part-time) of the Center who is succeeding Professor Gemma Kotula in that role. Dr. Chakraborti is an Assistant Professor of Economics. He received his PhD in economics from the University of Wyoming. His teaching interests include introductory economics, environmental economics, and industrial organization. His research interests include applied microeconomics, environmental economics, behavioral economics, and economics pedagogy.

The Center will serve as a conduit to all VCEE initiatives including the Stock Market Game, the Virginia Economic Educator Awards, and the Virginia Governor’s Challenge. It will provide instruction and resources for both economics and personal finance. The Center can be reached at econedu@cnu.edu.

Register for a one day in-person conference offered by CNU, VCEE and sponsored by Wohl Publishing. This workshop will prepare you to teach how the economic way of thinking provides a new and sometimes unexpected perspective on common topics in Civics, American Government, and American History.

Announcing Our Virginia Personal Finance Teacher Fellows

This cohort of highly-qualified Personal Finance Teacher Fellows will offer personal finance professional development and resources to other teachers in their school, school division, and region. In this way, the VCEE can dedicate more personal finance resources where they will have a meaningful impact. We believe this investment will help improve education opportunities and economic equity in Virginia’s underserved communities by ultimately improving the financial knowledge and skills of middle and high school students.

It is with the greatest pleasure that we announce our first ever Virginia Personal Finance Teacher Fellows!

• Amanda Flowers | Halifax County High School, Halifax County Public Schools
• Michael Gardner | Churchland High School, Portsmouth Public Schools
• Iris Gibson | Langston High School Continuation Program, Arlington Public Schools
• Charlotte Hayer | Richmond Community High School, Richmond City Public Schools
• Jackie Herrmann | Deep Run High School, Henrico County Public Schools
• Shannon Ison | Landstown High School, Virginia Beach City Public Schools
• Ingrid Johansen | George Wythe High School, Richmond City Public Schools
• Andi Johnson | Roanoke Technical Education Center, Roanoke City Public Schools
• Sharon Paul | Hayfield Secondary School, Fairfax County Public Schools
• Timothy Pemberton | John R. Lewis High School, Fairfax County Public Schools
• Jeremiah Riesenbeck | Roanoke Technical Education, Roanoke City Public Schools
• Rhonda Russell | Hampton High School, Hampton City Schools
• Alice Stocks | Granby High School, Norfolk Public Schools

The Virginia Personal Finance Teacher Fellowship Program is sponsored by: Bank of America | State Farm | Truist Foundation | Virginia Council on Economic Education | The William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Foundation