Debbie Petruzzi has been teaching financial literacy at Clearview High since 2010, when the school’s first class on the topic was launched.
Instructing Clearview Regional High School students on the importance of financial literacy is personal for finance educator Debbie Petruzzi, who’s been lecturing on the topic since the 2010 school year.
That year saw the launch of the school’s first financial literacy curriculum to teach students how to handle their money. The course includes understanding credit scores and what causes them to go high or low. Petruzzi provides students with resources such as representatives from banks and credit unions.
“I like to vary my strategies and bring it down to their level,” she explained. “Whether it’s short video clips I find online, whether it’s current events, whether it’s activities we do in the classroom, like credit score Jenga.”
That game involves students being presented with a particular scenario – such as failing to pay a home mortgage and having it taken by the bank – resulting in a loss of credit score. Another topic might be how to file a W-4 form.
“I’ve learned the difference between a W-2 and W-4 form,” said one student, who asked not be identified. “Even though I have a job, I wasn’t really sure what that was until I came to this class.”
“Most of my students,” Petruzzi noted, “if they don’t have jobs, they’re ready to apply for jobs. They need to learn out how to fill out W-4 forms. They’ve never heard of them. They need to know not to be intimidated by going into a job and filling out these forms.”
Students also learn about taxes withdrawn from their pay and how they’re spent. Petruzzi – whose course is a semester long – also tries to appeal to student interests. In December, for instance, she talks about holiday spending and keeping it within a budget. Stocks, bonds and crypto are also discussed.
Petruzzi’s class at Clearview has so far been a success. At the curriculum’s launch, her class had a 90% pass rate on the W!se Financial Literacy Certification Test (the exclamation point is intentional), which can certify someone as financially literate.
For her work, Petruzzi earned the Gold Star Teacher Award during the 2012-’13 school year and had her class highlighted by Discovery Education in 2024.
“Students should take personal financial literacy before graduating high school,” she advised. “They need to learn how to manage their money and spend their money wisely.”
