Brooke Shanks latest HTT winner

Brooke Shanks, special education teacher at Unaka Elementary School, is the latest Northeast Community Credit Union Helping Teachers Teach grant winner.

Shanks applied for the grant to create a classroom store to help students learn and understand different financial concepts. During the week, students will earn “money” for classroom work and behavior. At the end of the week, students can choose to spend their money on rewards in the store or to save it to use later.

“Our students have challenges with remembering money amounts, counting and exchanging money,” Shanks said. “They need to develop the concept of money, how much things cost, how to save and balance money for needs and wants as well as correct change when purchasing.”

Northeast Community Credit Union awards $300 every month to a classroom to be utilized for classroom needs, classroom activities, and academic enrichment. Helping Teachers Teach is open to teachers within Carter, Johnson, Unicoi, Sullivan and Washington counties who are members of Northeast Community Credit Union. Area teachers may become members online or at any NCCU location and can download the grant application on the credit union’s website: www.BeMyCU.org.