Huron Valley State Bank Celebrates

Another Year Of Bank at School Partnerships

Huron Valley State Bank (HVSB) and four local elementary schools, Spring Mills, Johnson, Heritage and Country Oaks celebrated the success of the Bank-At-School program.  This is a student run bank located inside of the school that teaches hands-on financial literacy, money management, and provides for real life banking experience.  Students applied and interviewed for positions earlier in the year, and were trained for actual banking positions to accept money from their fellow classmates to deposit into the bank. The schools celebrate the end of the year program with a ceremonial pizza party at which all student bank employees and customers enjoy lunch, games and prizes.   

Spring Mills Elementary in Highland was the first school to partner with HVSB in 2011 and the bank is run by fifth grade students.  The end of this school year marks the 7th year of partnership between both organizations.  Assistant Vice President Branch Manager, Shelley Dickerson oversees operations with the assistance of Customer Service Representatives, and Rebecca LeDuc and Juliana McKay, assisting the student bankers.  

In the fall of 2014, Huron Valley State Bank and Johnson Elementary School in Milford started a second Bank-At-School partnership.  At Johnson, there is a combination of fourth and fifth grade students running the bank.  Assistant Vice President, Branch Manager, Mara Jones, oversees operations while Assistant Branch Manger, Nancy Gomez and Customer Service Representative Anna Winstead assist the student bankers.  

Two years later, modeled after the abovementioned schools, Huron Valley State Bank formed its third partnership with Heritage Elementary in Highland in October of 2016. Heritage is run by fifth graders and operations are overseen by Susan Bowen, Vice President of Mortgage Lending and Sheri Miles, Marketing Director.  

The following year Gary Hamilton, previously Building Supervisor of Heritage, now Principal of Country Oaks Elementary, approached the bank to form a partnership.  In October of 2017, the student run bank opened for business.  Country Oaks is run by fifth graders and operations are overseen by both Branch Managers, Shelley Dickerson and Mara Jones, with Customer Service Representatives, Anna Winstead and Amanda Hepola-Gomez.  

To demonstrate appreciation of the school partnerships, the bank is sponsoring one school assembly for their partner schools per year.    Huron Valley State Bank has selected Kevin Szawala, also known as Mr. Peace, to present a program segment on leadership and diversity.  Last year, the first assembly was hosted at Spring Mills Elementary. This year the assembly was hosted at Johnson Elementary.  Mr. Peace is a national youth speaker & youth minister at St. Mary's in Milford.  Based locally in Commerce Township, he provides anti-bullying and character empowerment assemblies all across the country. For more on his programs go to: www.mrpeace.org.

“Our students and teachers really enjoyed the message that Mr Peace delivered to the Jaguar Community this past spring,” said Josh Gignac, Principal of Johnson Elementary.  “A big thanks to Huron Valley State Bank for bringing this banking program and assembly to our school”.

“Our partnerships with the schools are very rewarding for our bank.  We really enjoy the hands on financial literacy component, as well as giving the bankers the real life experience of having a job,” said Sheri Miles, Marketing Director.  “Having programs like this in half of the elementary schools in the district is a big deal for us and something we take great pride in. We hope over the years to expand these types of programs in our community.”