HUNTSVILLE, Ala.– The first credit union branch inside a Huntsville City Schools facility has opened.
As part of a workforce development program, Redstone Credit Union opened the new student-run branch inside Mae Jemison High School.
It’s the first Huntsville City School to have a student-run Redstone Federal Credit Union branch and the 10th in North Alabama and Central Tennessee. Other student-run branches include Bob Jones High School and James Clemons High School in Madison City Schools and Austin High School and Decatur High School in Decatur City Schools.
The program started in 2017.
According to AL.com, Huntsville City Councilmember Michelle Watkins has championed this project since 2019, when she was a member of the Huntsville City School Board.
9 Students Selected
Business education teacher Latoya Bell leads nine high-achieving students to run the Mae Jemison on-campus bank. They will work during the financial literacy class, which meets three times a week, AL.com reported.
The report said Mae Jemison students, parents, visitors, staff and faculty can make small transactions at the school’s location. Redstone FCU’s Nathan Lombard told AL.com there are guardrails to ensure proper management of funds and banking records are checked weekly.
Building Confidence
“When the students become part of a program, most of the time they come in with very little confidence. They won’t look you in the eye when they speak,” Lombard told AL.com. “We’re giving them an opportunity to see what it’s like to be in a professional environment. We’re teaching them how to work in a financial institution behind the scenes. But at the same time, they’re getting soft skills. They’re learning about security, about how to maintain confidentiality, which is very important to us.”
