Four Fenton students are getting the chance to travel to California, after taking the ultimate consumer challenge: the LifeSmarts test. The Fenton LifeSmarts team, consisting of seniors Luke Lynch, Matt Caliguri and junior Nick Okopien participated in a competitive program that teaches high schoolers the consumer literacy skills needed to succeed in today’s competitive marketplace.

“Everyone in Burwitz’ business classes takes the LifeSmarts online test,” Lynch said. “Out of a total of about 180 students, the top five are asked to join the team and take part in competitions. Fenton ended up winning the State LifeSmarts Competition; as a result, we get to go to San Diego, California on April 20th for the National competition. I’m excited to go sightseeing around the city and go to the beach.”

The LifeSmarts program covers five topic areas including: personal finance, consumer rights & responsibilities, technology, health & safety and the environment. Participants develop teamwork, self-esteem, verbal communication skills, and leadership abilities in order to stand out in today’s industries.

“The team went into Mr. Burwitz’ room to take a team test that would show us if we qualified for Nationals,” Okopien said. “A bit later, we found out that our score was the best in the state of Michigan, which automatically sends us the Nationals. The National competition is a live event, one team versus another, which will be a new challenge for us.”

In previous years the Fenton LifeSmarts team has competed in Hollywood, CA; Atlanta, GA; Philadelphia, PA; and Orlando, FL. This year’s competition will take place from the April 21st to the 24th. Students can join the 2019 LifeSmarts team by enrolling in a business class in the upcoming school year.