MEDIA RELEASE

HONOLULU – For the fourth year in a row, Keaau High School won the state title for the 6th annual LifeSmarts consumer education competition, which was held Saturday (Feb 20) at the State Capitol Auditorium.

The game-show style competition tested students on their knowledge of personal finance, health and safety, the environment, technology, and consumer rights and responsibilities.

The members of the winning team, Keaau Mixed Plate, are: Ricky William Tabandera, Jak Murasaki, Riana Brown, Mark Seu, and Chloe Frizelle. The team was coached by Kathlynn Tabandera and David Lee. The team qualifies to represent Hawai‘i at the national competition in Miami Beach, Florida, April 24 – 27.

“We’re taking a proactive approach to counter the risk of raising a generation of young people who overspend, borrow more than they can repay and save less than they should,” said Lt. Governor James R. “Duke” Aiona, Jr., who spoke to students during the annual competition. “LifeSmarts is a great way to expand financial literacy among our young people and reward them for making better choices.”

LifeSmarts is brought to Hawai‘i by the State Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and is run by the National Consumers League. Local partners include the Better Business Bureau Foundation, the Hawai‘i Credit Union League and the State Department of Education.

This year’s LifeSmarts competition was sponsored by: Hawaii State FCU, Aloha Pacific FCU, HMSA, Kaiser Permanente, Diamond Bakery, Taxpayer Advocate Service, UH College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, and the Office of the Securities Commissioner.

More information about the State LifeSmarts competition may be found at http://www.hawaii.gov/dcca/quicklinks/life_smarts/, or by calling DCCA Education Specialist Jacqueline Choy at 586-2760.