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May SmartStart
Hello everyone!
It’s been an unforgettable year in LifeSmarts. As we marked our 30th anniversary, we took time to reflect on our past, celebrate our present, and envision the future. While thirty years is a long time, it is also just the beginning. We can look back at 30 years of remarkable progress in educating teens through our work together. And now, we look forward to celebrating opportunities, challenges, and achievements for many years to come.

American astronaut Jim Lovell once said, “
There are people who make things happen, there are people who watch things happen, and there are people who wonder what happened. To be successful, you need to be a person who makes things happen.” Together, we celebrate our success in preparing the youth of today to become responsible consumer citizens. Thank you for your support of LifeSmarts as well as your contributions to our success.  

Speaking of success, please join us in celebrating our 2024 Varsity National LifeSmarts Champion team from Dallas High School in Pennsylvania and our first-ever Junior Varsity National LifeSmarts Champion Team, Gordon County 4-H from Georgia!  

We look forward to providing more opportunities for student success when we open our 31
st LifeSmarts season on August 1!
20 Point Club
Congratulations to theLifeSmarts participants who achieved perfect scores on an online topic assessment this year.

Capstone

Braden Shaw. McGee’s Crossroads Middle School JV, NC

Nicole Green, Kansas

Kourtney Dibben, Kansas

Panahbouth Mao, Stamford FCCLA, Texas

Macie Ladd, Selah Gold FCCLA, Washington

Jamiyah Cleveland, 4Rings FBLA, Alabama

Milly Lyle, Bartow County 4-H JV, Georgia

Kalese Lapsley, FMS25b, Alabama

A'nijha Tubbs, FMS25, Alabama

Mahi Dhol, Dallas High School, Pennsylvania

Marie Popielarz, Dallas High School, Pennsylvania

Tykeria Hawkins, FMS25b, Alabama

Mahanth Komuravelli, Edison_Academy_Magnet_Kirubakaran_Komuravelli, NJ

Logan Nguyen, Pewaukee Pirates, Wisconsin

Keaton Fisher, Calhan Varsity A, Colorado

Jasper Murrin, LifeSmarts for Life, West Virginia

Kayla Nguyen, Waipahu Team 8, Hawaii

Cassandra Barut, Maryknoll Spartans, Hawaii

Angelica Santos, Waipahu, Team 2, Hawaii

William Parish – Gordon County 4-H Varsity, Georgia

Bud Aichele – Cumberland Valley Varsity, Pennsylvania

Consumer Rights & Responsibilities

Amay Arora, School Without Walls FBLA, DC

Ishaan Pabla, School Without Walls FBLA, DC

Andrew Loznianu, Stow-Munroe Falls BPA Team 8, OH

Elan Mcclain, Floyd County 4-H, GA

Tykeria Hawkins, FMS25b, Alabama

Jakylia Sewell, Alabama

Aditya Kirubakaran, Edison_Academy_Magnet_Kirubakaran_Komuravelli, NJ

Artem Smagin, Dallas High School, PA

Ryan Solensky, Jamestown High School White, North Dakota

Aileen Kang, Kalani 5.0, Hawaii

Samantha Nagai, Waipahu Team 1, Hawaii

Environment

Amay Arora, School Without Walls FBLA, DC

Kalese Lapsley, FMs25b Alabama

Brandon Tran, Kalani 4.2, Hawaii

Health & Safety

Panahbouth Mao, Stamford FCCLA, Texas

Mya Thomas, FMS25b, Alabama

Maria Huch, John Marshall FBLA 1, West Virginia

Personal Finance

Jamiyah Cleveland, 4 Rings FBLA, Alabama

Amy Tavares, Center Point Eagles FBLA, Alabama

Kareem Almeky, Dallas High School, Pennsylvania

Riley Dewey, Dallas High School, Pennsylvania

Ember Fredrickson, Burke Central-Warman FBLA, Pennsylvania

Ben Varner, Pewaukee Pirates, Wisconsin

Ryan Solensky, Jamestown High School White, North Dakota

Reese Heckemeyer, Comet Commanders Varsity, Missouri

Kaleb King, Gordon County 4-H Varsity, Georgia

Chloe Doiron, West Fel 1, Louisiana

Marc Perrizo, Oconto LifeSmarts, Wisconsin

Dana Tomasevic, West Chicago 1, Illinois

Technology & Workforce Preparation

Nicholas Munkhbaatar, MLHMH BPA, California

Christian Michalak, SMFHS Varsity Team 2, Ohio

Indiana Hilmes, Selah Gold FCCLA, Washington

Hannah Christianson, Selah Gold FCCLA, Washington

Tarik Kulic, SMFHS Varsity Team 2, Ohio

Dale Loughridge, Lyons High Varsity, Kansas

CONGRATULATIONS to all these students. Coaches, certificates can be downloaded here for personalization.


Host a LifeSmarts Day Camp!
Focus on one topic a day for success!

  • Monday – Health & Safety (water safety, camping safety, driving safety, and outdoor cookery / picnic safety while preparing their own lunch and more)

  • Tuesday – Personal Finance (conduct a personal finance/ poverty simulation; play a money or credit board game; conduct a budget-planning challenge – let the campers plan a fun day with a set budget for the group)

  • Wednesday – Consumer Rights & Responsibilities (make up a rap or song about the Consumer Bill of Rights; make a video or reel to share about consumer rights; plan a project with citizenscience.gov)

  • Thursday – Environment (do an environmental community service project, take kids on a grocery store scavenger hunt to look for environmentally-friendly packaging and have them take photos on their phones)

  • Friday – Technology & Workforce Preparation (have students complete LifeSmarts Adventure modules, have students invent a LifeSmarts Tech or Workforce Prep / career game; have students produce a Flippity, Kahoot or Quizizz)

Have ideas or examples you’d like to share?  What ideas do you have for themed LifeSmarts days?  We’d love to share your ideas here.

Win a gift card! Complete our year-end coach survey
There is still time for you to complete our year-end coach input survey here. Those who respond by May 30 will be entered in a drawing for gift cards. We appreciate your feedback on what we do well, what we can do better, new projects and awards we have implemented, and your ideas that would make it easier for you and your students to be part of LifeSmarts!  

Summer Study
Don’t forget these LifeSmarts online learning resources


Remote Part-time Internship with LifeSmarts
LifeSmarts alumni are invited to apply for a LifeSmarts remote, part-time, summer internship. We are looking for motivated interns to support the LifeSmarts program and assist the program staff with ongoing projects and research. Internships provide opportunities to: develop LifeSmarts materials such as study aids to be posted on our website; write questions, vocabulary and quizzes for the LifeSmarts online and live competitions; work on special projects; and more. Remote internships are generally 20 hours per week with flexible hours and are non-paid. We are happy to consider the particular interests of applicants and will assign specific projects, complete paperwork, etc., as needed for class credit. For more information and details on how to apply, please contact the LifeSmarts staff. Coaches, we would appreciate you sharing this opportunity with any eligible alumni.
    New Junior Varsity National LifeSmarts Champions
    Congratulations once again to the NEW Junior Varsity National LifeSmarts Champions, Gordon County 4-H JV from Georgia. In a very close final match Georgia prevailed by just five points over team Kansas, Trailridge Middle School Seek 1.

    Third place honors went to Florida – Northview 4-H JV Team 1 and Nebraska, Kearney Catholic Middle School JV.

    We’d like to congratulate all our 2024 State Junior Varsity Champion Teams!

    Competed in the Junior Varsity National LifeSmarts Championship:

    Colorado – Larimer County 4-H JV Team, Larimer County 4-H, Colorado 4-H

    Florida – Northview JV Team 1, Northview 4-H Club, Florida 4-H

    Georgia – Gordon County 4-H JV, Georgia 4-H

    Kansas Trailridge Middle School Seek 1

    Minnesota – Russell Tyler Ruthton Middle School Sixth Grade FCCLA

    Missouri Owensville Middle School Seek 1

    Nebraska Kearney Catholic Middle School JV

    North Carolina ­– McGee's Crossroads Middle School JV

    North Dakota – Rambling Wreck from LMHS, Litchville-Marion High School 8th Grade

    Texas – Bulldog Pups, Bartlett Middle High School FCCLA

    Wisconsin –Oconto Middle School JV LifeSmarts

    Unable to compete in the Junior Varsity National LifeSmarts Championship:

    Alabama – Hubbertville FCCLA, Hubbertville School

    Kentucky –MC Cardinals 2 – Martin County Middle School 4-H, Kentucky 4-H

    Want to start a LifeSmarts Junior Varsity Team? Let us know. We are here to help!

    National LifeSmarts Championship Scavenger Hunt winners
    Congratulations to North East High School from Pennsylvania, and Harrison County 4-H from Kentucky for winning our National LifeSmarts Championship scavenger hunt. Prizes will be mailed to your team coach! Congratulations! Both teams did an amazing job! Check out their photos on Instagram!

    Save the date for Chicago!
    The 2025 National LifeSmarts Championship will be in the Windy City of Chicago, Illinois, April 24-27, 2025. Located on the shores of Lake Michigan, Chicago is a vibrant multicultural city renowned for its breathtaking architecture and iconic skylines. LifeSmarts competitors can enjoy all that the city has to offer, including indulging in a slice of deep-dish pizza or the iconic caramel popcorn. Teams can enjoy admiring the city from the water, discovering its sports arenas, savoring Chicago’s delicious dishes, visiting the amazing museums and more! There’s something for everyone to enjoy! Be sure to save the date and plan now to be with us for the 31st Varsity National LifeSmarts Championship.

    Start planning now for a successful 2024-2025 season

    • Online registration and competition begins on August 1, 2024

    • Monthly TeamSmarts quizzes with cash prizes for Varsity, Junior Varsity, BPA, FBLA, FCCLA, 4-H and SkillsUSA teams will run August through February including the new Amazing August TeamSmarts which will be open from August 1–31

    • Varsity State LifeSmarts competitions will occur between December 1, 2024 and February 28, 2025

    • Junior Varsity Competition must be completed in all states by April 1, 2025

    • 2025 Varsity National LifeSmarts Championship: April 24-27, 2025, Chicago, IL

    • 2025 Virtual Junior Varsity National LifeSmarts Championship – May 8-9, 2025

    Rewatch the National LifeSmarts Championship semi-finals and finals
    You can still watch the exciting 2024 Varsity National LifeSmarts Championship finals here.
     
    CEU’s for LifeSmarts coaches
    LifeSmarts coaches, teachers, advisors, Extension agents / program assistants, and volunteers: be sure to apply for your Continuing Education Units! As a LifeSmarts coach, you can apply for Continuing Education Units. All the information you need, including how to calculate your CEU’s, is available here. You can also apply for and receive your CEU certificate directly through the site. Get credit for the great work that you do with your LifeSmarts students and teams!

    Good luck to FBLA LifeSmarts Challenge finalist teams
    On June 30, 20 high-scoring FBLA teams will compete in Orlando in the FBLA LifeSmarts Challenge finals at the FBLA National Leadership Conference. We look forward to working with these amazing teams and coaches!

    Good luck to FCCLA/LifeSmarts Knowledge Bowl teams
    Sixteen top FCCLA teams will compete June 30 in the FCCLA / LifeSmarts Knowledge Bowl finals as part of the FCCLA National Leadership Conference in Seattle, WA. Best of luck to these fantastic teams and coaches!

    SkillsUSA Health Knowledge Bowl
    LifeSmarts will participate in the SkillsUSA Health Knowledge Bowl during the SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference in Atlanta, GA, June 26-27, 2024, in partnership with SkillsUSA. Good luck to the secondary and post-secondary teams competing!

    SkillUSA Health & Safety Challenge Winner!
    Congrats to the winning team in our LifeSmarts SkillsUSA Health & Safety Challenge!  This team has won a cash prize from LifeSmarts:

    • CDJX Health Knowledge Bowl TeamChallenger Early College HS and CVCC – North Carolina
    Way to go!

    4-H Summer Online Challenge – August 5-31, 2024
    4-H teams who are interested in expanding their LifeSmarts knowledge are invited to participate in a special online quiz over the summer. The quiz will be held during the month of August. If you have a Junior Varsity or a Varsity level 4-H team that would be interested in taking the online quiz, visit this link, click on 4-H Summer Challenge and email Cherylv@nclnet.org

    Special thanks to all our youth leadership partner organizations for a fantastic year!
    LifeSparks Award Winners
    Congratulations to these teams that earned 30 credits on the LifeSparks Award application for creating sparks in their LifeSmarts team this year through robust participation, demonstrating exceptional knowledge in all LifeSmarts topics, and going above and beyond in the community:

    Winners are:

    4 Rings, Francis Marion School FBLA, Alabama

    Altitude 9.0, Flagstaff Home Educators, Arizona

    Calhan Varsity A, Calhan High School, Colorado

    Crosby Bulldogs, Crosby High School, Connecticut

    Country Clovers, Country Clovers / Delaware 4-H, Delaware

    Gordon County 4-H JV, Georgia 4-H, Georgia

    Gordon County 4-H  Varsity, Georgia 4-H, Georgia

    Tift County 4-H, Georgia 4-H, Georgia

    Columbia County 4-H Varsity, Georgia 4-H, Georgia

    Team Hawaii, Kalani High School, Hawaii

    Teal Taters, Minidoka County 4-H, Idaho 4-H, Idaho

    West Fel, West Feliciana High School, Louisiana

    LCWM Grey, Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial School, Minnesota

    LCWM Silver, Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial School, Minnesota

    LCWM Blue, Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial School, Minnesota

    LCWM Knights, Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial School, Minnesota

    LCWM Black, Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial Schools, Minnesota

    LCWM, Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial School, Minnesota

    Puckett High School FCCLA – Puckett High School, Mississippi

    LTCC Yellowjacket Swarm, Lebanon Technology and Career Center, Missouri

    Macks Creek/Ex Nihilo, Macks Creek RV, Missouri

    McGee's Crossroads Middle School JV, North Carolina

    The Ramblin’ Wreck JV, Litchville-Marion High School, North Dakota

    The Destroyers, Litchville-Marion High School, North Dakota

    Money Hounds, Litchville-Marion High School, North Dakota

    The Squad, Riverside High School/Ohio Hi-Point Career Center BPA, Ohio

    Pryor Tigers, Pryor High School, Oklahoma

    Dallas, Dallas High School, Pennsylvania

    Irmo High School, South Carolina

    Bartlett FCCLA, Bartlett ISD, Texas

    Econoponax, Massaponax High School, Virginia

    Robinson Ace, Robinson Secondary School - Virginia

    Manor High School, Virginia

    LifeSmarts for Life, John Marshall High School, West Virginia

    And the TOP SEVEN LifeSparks winners are:

    • First Place – West Fel – West Feliciana High School, Louisiana - $150.00

    • Second Place ­– Gordon County 4-H Varsity, Georgia; Riverside High School/Ohio Hi-Point Career Center BPA - Ohio; and Manor High School, Virginia - $75.00 each

    • Third Place – Calhan Varsity A, Calhan High School, Colorado; Tift County 4-H, Georgia; and Pryor Tigers, Pryor High School, Oklahoma - $25.00 each

    Congratulations to all our LifeSparks Award recipients! Get started this summer on spreading your LifeSmarts spark to others!

    Take a Leap – LifeSmarts LEAP panel
    LifeSmarts LEAP is a select group of teens who will work with the LifeSmarts program staff and others to brainstorm ways LifeSmarts can “Leap” forward, share ideas to better the LifeSmarts program, and help LifeSmarts reach more youth and potential coaches. Students must currently be in grades 9-11 and must be willing to network with other members in-person and online to accomplish assigned tasks. The panel will be invited to participate in Nationals 2025 planning and some members will have the chance to attend to help. While not a requirement, it is helpful if nominees have participated in the LifeSmarts National Championship. Further details will be provided to those selected to serve. Coaches, please discuss this with students you would like to nominate before using this
    form to nominate them.  Students should be outgoing and able to complete work on their own. Virtual interviews will be conducted with finalists via Zoom. Questions? Email Cheryl Varnadoe at cherylv@nclnet.org. Nomination deadline is June 15, 2024.

    With this issue, SmartStart goes on hiatus until August. We will open our 31st season of LifeSmarts on August 1 and look forward to reconnecting with you and your students then.

    Be sure to work with your school or organization to make certain LifeSmarts emails are able to reach you!  We value each and every one of you, and hope that all our coaches, teachers, educators, agents, program assistants, and advisers have a safe and happy summer. Thank you again for a wonderful year!

    Until August,

    The LifeSmarts Team


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