By Charlene Nichols
Kansas Council for Education
Teens from Lyons and Junction City High Schools are representing Kansas at the 2024 National LifeSmarts competition Thursday through Sunday ( April 18-21 ) in San Diego.
LifeSmarts is a consumer education and life skills competition that challenges teens in grades 6-8 (Junior Varsity) and 9-12 (Varsity) about personal finance, health & safety, the environment, technology & workforce preparation, and consumer rights & responsibilities. It's a program of the National Consumers League (NCL).
The Lyons team qualified as winners of the Kansas competition held at Wichita State University on February 13. Junction City earned its spot through a competitive Wild Card process. A total of 48 teams will gather to compete.
The Junction City team, comprised of FCCLA members, is coached by Joanna Ericson. Students include: Armani Coleman, Grace Erichsen, Rilynn Hotard, and Macie Muto.
The Lyons team is coached by Tiffanie Arthur and Angela Holmes. Students include: Dale Loughridge, Will Miller, Deacon Showalter, Greta Showalter and Ricardo Tapia.
In 30 years, LifeSmarts has educated more than 1.7 million students about core consumer topics, helped students develop critical thinking skills, and provided state and national leadership opportunities. LifeSmarts students also give back through a variety of community service projects.