BISMARCK, N.D. – The North Dakota Department of Financial Institutions is proud to announce that the Litchville-Marion High School LifeSmarts team (known as the “Money Hounds”) has achieved an outstanding second-place finish at the National LifeSmarts Competition held this past weekend in Chicago, Illinois. This remarkable achievement reflects the hard work, dedication, and academic excellence of the students, coaches, and school community.
The Department of Financial Institutions organizes the state level competition each year. LifeSmarts is a nationally recognized educational competition that challenges middle and high school students to develop real-world consumer and life skills in areas such as personal finance, health and safety, the environment, technology, and consumer rights.
“LifeSmarts helps prepare the next generation of citizens by providing real-world education on topics including financial literacy,” said Lise Kruse, Commissioner of the Department of Financial Institutions. “We are proud to support a program that builds confidence, leadership, and knowledge in our students.”
Litchville-Marion placed second place in the state competition in February and was able to attend the national competition on a sweepstake invitation. Members of the team included Captain Charlie Enger, Andrian Danilov, Gracie Enger, and Dakota Severance, along with Head Coach Dave Handt and Assistant Coach Alesha Knudson. Handt also received the honor of National Coach of the Year.
“I am so proud of the young people and their achievement,” Handt said. “Their charismatic behavior, polite mannerism, and hard work made this possible. I am just along for the ride.”
The Litchville-Marion team demonstrated exceptional knowledge and teamwork throughout multiple rounds of intense competition, ultimately earning their place among the top teams in the nation. Each team member was awarded a $1,000 scholarship and $100 Amazon gift card from the National Consumer League.
“I couldn’t be more proud of the Litchville-Marion team for being such great ambassadors for North Dakota and proving that even comparatively tiny schools can compete on the national scene with much larger schools in America,” said Sen. Cole Conley of Jamestown.
Jamestown High School Blue team won the state competition in February and advanced to the national competition.
“We are proud to have two North Dakota teams represent our state at the national competition. Congratulations to the Litchville-Marion and Jamestown LifeSmarts teams for representing North Dakota with pride, integrity, and excellence,” Kruse said.
For more information on how to get your school involved in the LifeSmarts Competition in North Dakota, please contact Katie Richard at kmrichard@nd.gov.