Kentucky.gov

Attorney General Jack Conway announced today that Louisville’s DuPont Manual High School edged out five-time state champion Bracken County High School to claim the state LifeSmarts championship title in Frankfort on March 6. However, due to prior commitments involving the Manual team, Bracken County will represent Kentucky at the national LifeSmarts competition.

“The level of competition at this year’s event was truly outstanding,” Attorney General Jack Conway said. “It’s always rewarding to see teenagers learning about financial-education and consumer-protection issues. These lessons will serve them well as they prepare for life after high school.”

The LifeSmarts competition is a game-show style quiz competition for high school students. Students test their knowledge and skills by answering questions in the areas of health and safety, personal finance, environment and technology, and consumer rights and responsibilities.  Teams qualified online for the chance to meet face to face in Frankfort.

Teacher Robin Cash coached DuPont Manual High School’s winning team. Team members include: Evan Coleman, Katie Barrette, Emma Cohn, and Sarah Bennett.

Bracken County High’s team is coached by Clay King, and team members include: Justin Ramsey, Chris Brothers, J.T. Hendricks, Becky Jewell and Sara Jewell.

This is the sixth time during the past ten years that Bracken County will serve as Kentucky’s representative for the national LifeSmarts competition. Bracken County claimed the first-runner-up position at the national competition in San Francisco three years ago. This year, the national competition will be held in Minneapolis on April 12-15.

LifeSmarts is sponsored by the National Consumers League and is coordinated in Kentucky by the Attorney General=s Office in partnership with the Office of Financial Institutions, the Office of Insurance, the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service (4-H and Youth Development Programs), and the Better Business Bureau.  High schools interested in learning more about LifeSmarts for the 2009 program may visit www.lifesmarts.org or contact the Attorney General=s Office of Consumer Protection at 1-888-432-9257.