YES Recognizes Area Educators for Economics and Financial Literacy Lesson Plans, Units or Projects.
All Harrisonburg City and Rockingham County teachers are eligible for local economic education awards for their lesson plans, units, or projects. Virginia teachers from outside Harrisonburg-Rockingham are not eligible for our local competition, but may be eligible for state competition hosted by the Virginia Council on Economic Education.
This Economic Education Awards competition has been held annually since the early 1970s with sponsorship from the Harrisonburg Rotary Club and the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce. Thanks to generous donations to YES from Fred and Carol Showker and the Appleseeds Foundation, prizes were doubled beginning with the 2006-2007 competition, making the grand prize in the competition $1000.
Cash Prizes Awarded Across All Grades.
There are 14 cash prizes awarded at our local level in four grade categories.
- Grades K-2
- Grades 3-5
- Grades 6-8
- Grades 9-12
YES recognizes and provides the following prizes each year:
- William C. Wood Award For Exemplary Teaching Of Economics: $1500
- Grand Prize Overall Competition: $1000
- Plus three additional cash prizes in each of the four grade categories:
- First Place $750
- Second Plage: $500
- Third Place: $250
Fill Out One Application to be Eligible for Local and Statewide Awards Listed Below.
The awards competition recognizes teachers on four local levels (K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12). Varied projects are eligible, from a single lesson plan or performanced-based assessment to a comprehensive unit.
The competition requires only short and easy to assemble entries. Your unit, lesson plan, or performance based assessment is automatically entered into state competition; you need not win locally to go on to state competition. Applications for the local awards competition are due by mid June, typically the third week of June. For specific dates and more information about the application, please contact John Kruggel.
YES and Local Judges Choose Local Award Winners.
John Kruggel and the JMU Center for Economic Education together administer the local Economic Education Awards Program. The judging panel, which includes members from Rotary, the Chamber, YES and the local education community, meet in July to make local awards selections. Staff at the JMU Center do not participate in judging other than to offer guidance to the teacher applicants with regard to their application and to assist the judges with questions or clarifications they may have. All entries go on to state competition in late summer, regardless of local results. Local and state winners are treated to lunch and recognized at an October meeting of the Harrisonburg Rotary Club.
The Virginia Council on Economic Education Makes Economic Education Awards and Presents Cash Prizes.
These awards honor innovative and engaging approaches to teaching economics or personal finance at the K-12 level. Winners will be honored both by their regional Centers for Economic Education as well as by the Virginia Council on Economic Education.
The state competition is conducted by the Virginia Council on Economic Education, with sponsorship from the Virginia Credit Union and Virginia Housing Development Authority.
3 Contests, 11 Awards Statewide.
- Outstanding Economics or Personal Finance Unit, Lesson Plan, or Performance-based Assessment – A single overall category for K-12 entries, with three prizes:
- First Place $1000
- Second Place: $500
- Third Place: $250
- VCEE Institute Graduate Competition – Open to any educator who has completed a VCEE Economics or Personal Finance institute in the last three years; specific requirements apply
- There is a single $1000 prize statewide.
- Virginia’s Outstanding Economic Educator – Awarded to an educator with a sustained history of commitment and contribution to economic and financial education.
- One teacher is nominated by each center and recognized with a $100 award.
- $1000 grand prize goes to the best entry statewide.
