When students and staff return to the Zachary High School campus for the fall semester, they’ll be able to take care of their financial needs at a new, on-site bank branch.
Through a partnership with the Bank of Zachary, the school is opening a branch that will offer banking services as well as promote financial literacy.
Superintendent Ben Necaise told School Board members about the initiative at their June 18 meeting.
Work is underway this summer to get the bank branch ready for the start of school. A classroom near the library is being remodeled to house the facility.
It will feature teller windows, an ATM and a mural to be painted by local artist Marc Fresh. All students will be able — and encouraged — to open an account with the bank, Necaise said. They even will have opportunities to work there.
Having access to a bank on school grounds will make it easier to teach students about making good decisions with money, Necaise said.
“We’re excited not only about the partnership, but it also ties in perfectly with our incoming ninth graders, who are required to take a financial literacy credit,” he said.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held to officially open the branch once it is finished.