This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
While aspiring filmmakers compete over web page views, teens from Mountain High School in Davis County have already become professionals.
Seventeen students in the Teen Parenting Program won first place in Zions Bank's "Financialize a Film" video contest with their video, "Futures – Our Greatest Investments," which depicted the young mothers studying financial literature and teaching their children to drop coins into buckets labeled "Education," "Savings" and "Emergency."
"I just thought it was important because I want [my daughter] Tallica to invest in her future and go to school and just be the best she can do," said student Makia Jones, holding her daughter after the award ceremony.
The school's video was one of 95 submitted by teens ages 13 to 18 from Utah and Idaho. The videos chosen as finalists by a board of Zions Bank judges were placed on Facebook and drew 2,575 vote during a two-week peer voting period. "Futures – Our Greatest Investments" won with 442 votes.
The minute-long video was produced entirely within the alternative high school. Students wrote the script and Karen Shepherd, the Teen Parenting Program's director, did the filming.
"We do a lot of business and financial education," Shepherd said. "A lot of these kids work, and it's important that they learn to manage their finances."
Mountain High's Teen Parenting Program focuses on academics, career preparation and parenting skills. The school itself is an alternative intended for teens who benefit from different schedules and methods than traditional high schools.
Zions Bank launched the film contest as part of National Financial Literacy Month. According to Zions Public Relations Director Elizabeth Neff, the contest serves to reward talent and encourage frugality.
"We feel it's so important to be involved with the community directly like this," Neff said. "It's really fun to see the kind of talent that these kids have, it's really something."
Zions Bank surprised the students with a $1,000 check on April 9. The bank also donated $1,000 to the high school itself, which plans to use it for school supplies and a possible field trip to the Living Planet Aquarium.
Twitter: @sltribDavis —
Investing in the future
Students at Davis County's Mountain High School won first place in Zions Bank's "Financialize a Film" video contest. Their video, "Futures – Our Greatest Investments," can be seen on YouTube at http://youtu.be/KiVTWOp3McA. —
Envisioning savings
April is National Financial Literacy Month. Zions Bank has launched a website for parents and students to learn smart money skills at http://www.zionsbank.com/financialize.