April 14, 2010

Chantilly High School won the preliminary round of the regional Fed Challenge Competition

Baltimore

Chantilly High School students from Chantilly, Virginia, won the preliminary round of the Federal Reserve's 2010 High School Fed Challenge competition held at the Baltimore Branch on April 12th, 2010. This year's winning team included Jack Colson, Syed Hussain, Suraj Malladi, Gary Suljoti, Emily Wright, and alternate Emily Powers. The team was coached by Joe Clement.

The Severn School from Severna Park, Maryland, was the finalist. The Severn School team included Lillie Cartwright, Alex Coffin, Constantine Nakos, Max Schechter, Kelsey Wooddell, and Courtney Richeson. The Severn School team was coached by John Bodley.

Teams from the Applications and Research Laboratory in Ellicott City, Maryland, Frederick County Career and Technology High School in Frederick, Maryland, and Urbana High School, Ijamsville, Maryland, also participated in the day-long event held at the Baltimore Branch.

Judges for this year's competition included R. Andrew Bauer, Regional Economist for the Baltimore Branch, and John Walter, Senior Economist and Research Advisor from the Richmond Office, and Mary Ann Hewitt, Executive Director for the Maryland Council on Economic Education, and Debbie Batchelor, Associate Executive Director for the Maryland Council on Economic Education. Bauer and Walter rated the teams on their knowledge of the Federal Reserve, the current state of the economy and monetary policy, as well as research, analysis and responses during a 10-minute Q&A session. Hewitt and Batchelor rated the teams on the quality of their presentation and teamwork.

On April 28th, 2010, Chantilly High School will compete against the winner of the local competition held in Richmond, on April 19th, 2010. The Fifth District winner advances to the National Finals to be held May 18th, 2010 at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors in Washington, D.C.

The Federal Reserve sponsors Fed Challenge to encourage better understanding of the nation's central bank and the forces influencing economic conditions in the United States and abroad. For more information on Fifth District economic education programs visit our web site at http://richmondfed.org/education/.

View photo of winning team

As part of our nation’s central bank, the Richmond Fed is one of 12 regional Reserve Banks working together with the Board of Governors to support a healthy economy and deliver on our mission to foster economic stability and strength. We connect with community and business leaders across the Fifth Federal Reserve District — including the Carolinas, District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, and most of West Virginia — to monitor economic conditions, address issues facing our communities, and share this information with monetary and financial policymakers. We also work with banks to ensure they are operating safely and soundly, supply financial institutions with currency that’s fit for distribution, and provide a safe and efficient way to transfer funds through our nation’s payments system.

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