Jill Bargiel

 Juniata Valley Junior/Senior High School
 Alexandria, PA
 Juniata Valley School District
 David Christopher, Principal
 James Foster, Superintendent

2009 Graduate of the Governor’s Institute on Financial Education
Renee Hughes, Teacher Mentor
Pine Grove Area School District

Jill believes she will have her greatest impact as a teacher by helping students develop a desire to be financially sound and providing them with the tools to achieve that goal. Despite tight school budgets, state and federal mandates, and scheduling challenges, she was able to convince the Juniata Valley School District to institute a requirement for 11th and 12th graders to take a personal finance course. The course will commence in the 2010-11 academic year. She also initiated a school-wide activity called “Financial Friday”; each Friday morning during the school’s announcements, a finance-related question is posed, and a prize is awarded for the correct answer. She brings guest speakers to her classes and arranged for an Office of Financial Education representative to speak at the local Intermediate Unit’s Curriculum Council. By planting the seeds for financial success in life, Jill has helped increase personal finance awareness among students, colleagues and parents in her school district.