For immediate release: April 25, 2007

The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta today announced the winners of the Bank's Lesson Plan of the Year contest.

  • First place: Cheryl Morrow of Spain Park High School in Hoover, Ala.
  • Second place: Brian Hoover of Gallatin High School in Gallatin, Tenn.
  • Third place: Pamela Carrubba of Bay Waveland Middle School in Bay St. Louis, Miss.
  • Fourth place: Kevin Maldonado of John A. Ferguson High School in Miami, Fla.

The Lesson Plan of the Year contest challenged middle and high school educators to develop lesson plans featuring Federal Reserve publications, Web sites, or multimedia materials. The contest was designed to introduce educators to Federal Reserve materials and resources.

Each of the finalists represents a geographic area served by one of the District's six offices. The four finalists each received a $1,000 savings bond, which was awarded by their respective District office—Birmingham, Nashville, New Orleans and Miami. At today's ceremony in Atlanta, Morrow also received a $1,500 savings bond; Hoover received a $1,000 savings bond; Carrubba received a $750 savings bond; and Maldonado received a $250 savings bond.

Morrow's winning entry, "The Trial of Monty Terry,"uses a courtroom trial of the fictional Monty Terry (representing monetary policy), who is charged with manipulating the economy, controlling the money supply and outperforming fiscal policy in solving macroeconomic problems, to teach students about the Federal Reserve's role in monetary policy.

Hoover focused on using credit wisely for his lesson plan, "Bah-Da, Dah-Dot, Da-Da CHARGE!...but to which card?"; Carrubba's entry examined the Federal Reserve's role in maintaining a stable economy through its control of the money supply for her entry, "We're in the Money!" Maldonado's lesson plan, "An Introduction to the Federal Reserve," featured the Federal Reserve's video "In Plain English" and focused on Federal Open Market Committee actions.

A panel of judges composed of Federal Reserve staff and educators evaluated each entry on use of Federal Reserve materials, originality and creativity, accuracy, quality of documentation, adherence to project guidelines, organization, ease of replication or adaptation, relevance to standards, and writing style.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta serves the Sixth Federal Reserve District, which encompasses Alabama, Florida, Georgia and parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee. As part of the nation's central banking system, the Atlanta Fed participates in setting national monetary policy, supervises numerous commercial banks and provides a variety of financial services to depository institutions and the U.S. government. The Atlanta Fed offers economic and financial education outreach to teachers, students, and others through a variety of programs and activities.