www.LifeSmarts.org

LifeSmarts now offers Varsity (9-12) & Junior Varsity (6-8) Competitions!

Click here to view coach training schedule

Congratulations to Nickerson High School - the 2012 Kansas LifeSmarts Champions!

2012 VARSITY STATE

Congratulations to the Nickerson High School LifeSmarts Team for winning the title of 2012 Kansas LifeSmarts Champions. Great job to the Buhler High School team for making Nickerson work hard to win the title in a very competitive re-match at the end of the day.

Listed below are the students who scored the highest in the individual LifeSmarts topic tests:

Personal Finance: Emily Thompson - Buhler High School
Consumer Rights & Responsibilties: Jerik Allen - Humboldt High School
Health & Safety: Branson Strasner - Haven High School
Technology: Kevin Smith - Great Bend High School
Environment: Brandon Yutzy - Haven High School

All teachers and students who participated in the 2012 Kansas LifeSmarts Competition deserve a big CONGRATULATIONS for a job well done! The list of schools is below in the Regional section.  This was one of the strongest competitions in Kansas LifeSmarts history. All teams were very competitive and it was obvious that a lot of work went into preparing for this year's competition. Thanks again for your time!

REGIONAL LIFESMARTS

Below is a list of the teams that will be invited to participate in the in-person Kansas LifeSmarts State Finals on Tuesday, March 6^th on the WSU Campus.  Congratulations to these teams who will advance and also thanks to all teams that participated in the online competition. 

West Division:
1^st - Great Bend High School – Tina Steinert
2^nd - Hays High School – Sondra Hickert
3^rd - Ell Saline High School – Ashley Hanson

Central Division:
1^st – Haven High School – Vicki Galloway
2^nd – Nickerson High School – Vicki Galloway
3^rd – Buhler High School – Heather Sazama

East Division:
1^st – Salina South High School – Susan Montoy
2^nd - Humboldt High School – Sharon Clelland
3^rd – Washington County High School – Glorianna Ford

2012 JUNIOR VARSITY STATE:

Congratulations to Iola Middle School & Coach Jean Johns, the Kansas 2012 JV LifeSmarts Champions.  Pretty Prairie Middle School, Coach Vicki Galloway, came in a close 2nd place. 

Below is a list of teams that competed in the Kansas Junior Varsity LifeSmarts competition at Wichita State University on April 4th. 

2011-12 Kansas LifeSmarts Sponsors

What is LifeSmarts^®...the ultimate consumer challenge?
LifeSmarts^® is an FREE educational opportunity that develops the consumer and marketplace knowledge and skills of students in grades 6-12.  The content and competition questions focus on five areas.

• Personal Finance
• Health and Safety
• Environment
• Technology and Telecommunications
• Consumer Rights and Responsibilities

Teens develop teamwork and leadership abilities, self-esteem, verbal communication skills, and have fun in the process.  This program, like the other programs sponsored by the KCEE, improves decision-making skills and helps prepare students for the challenges of adulthood.  

The program complements almost any curriculum and can be used as an activity for classes, groups, clubs, and community organizations.  It is used successfully by many FACS, Business, Gifted & Econ teachers.  LifeSmarts^®, run as a game-show style competition, is open to all teens in the USA in the 6th through the 12th grade.  The Junior Varsity Program (grades 6-8) was added in 2007-2008.  There will be an in-person state competition but not a national state competition.  The Varsity Program (grades 9-12) will move to online regionals for the 2011-12 year, in-person state & national competitions. 

Competition Information
Varsity (Grades 9-12):  The Varsity competition is open through January 30th.  The first step is to register as a coach as soon as possible.  This will allow me to know you are planning to participate and we can keep you up to date on program information.  The final online quizzes determine qualification for the state online regional competition.  Regional online competitions will be scheduled in mid-February using the TeamSmarts format.  Top region winners will be invited to Wichita to the state competition to vie for the state championship set for Tuesday, March 6, 2012.  Kansas Champions at the high school level will receive up to $2,500 towards transportation and hotel for the coach and team to attend Nationals in Atlanta, GA on April 20-23, 2013.

        REGIONAL VARSITY LIFESMARTS DATES (Top teams from the online competition)
             - ONLINE - More information coming soon
                (this regional online competition will be using the TeamSmarts format)
       
        STATEWIDE VARSITY COMPETITION (top winning teams from Regionals)
             - Wichita - Tuesday, March 5, 2013 (tentative)

Junior Varsity (Grades 6-8):  The Junior Varsity competition will be open until March 1st.  There is separate registration for the Junior Varsity program.   To participate in the JV program, please please select the middle school program link.  If you have teams participating in both levels then you will need to register once with the Varsity Program and once with the Junior Varsity Program so you will end up with two separate coach IDs.  The first step is to register as a coach as soon as possible.   This will allow me to know you are planning to participate and I can keep you up to date on program information.  Students will register themselves.  There will be an in-person middle school state competition in Wichita sometime in April 2012.  There will be no in-person national competition for middle school again this year. 

      STATEWIDE JUNIOR VARSITY COMPETITION (Teams must qualify online first)
             - Wichita - April 2012

What do I do as a team coach and is there any training available?

If possible, register to attend one of the FREE workshops for coaches or join a conference call and get all the inside scoop on the competition and see what helpful educational materials are available.  No cost or obligation to attend.  Register online by clicking a link below or email KCEE@wichita.edu if you would like to request a specific options or receive notification as new workshops are scheduled.

Workshops/webinars are not mandatory.  If you are new and cannot attend a workshop, please be sure to register as a coach right away (step 1 below) or contact Angela Howdeshell at 316-978-5335 or email kcee@wichita.edu to let us know that you will be participating so we can help get you started.

Coaches should take a minute to look over the website section for Coaches.  Players should also be encouraged to start by taking as many practice quizzes as they can prior to taking the final quizzes.  Practice questions constantly change and you may repeat the quiz as many times as you would like.  Practice quiz scores will be available to coaches.  

Step 1:  Go to www.lifesmarts.org and click on "Coaches"  in the dark blue bar

Step 2:  Click on "Register & Log In" to register as a coach in the appropriate division.  Varsity is for grades 9-12 and Junior Varsity is for grades 6-8.  If you are going to have both a Varsity and a Junior Varsity team then you will need to register as a coach in both divisions.    FCCLA coaches can register in a special FCCLA competition.  Click on GET STARTED and then FCCLA coaches. 

Step 3:  As soon as you register, go back to the "Register & Log In" link and log in with your new ID.  On the first page you will see a "Competition Date" note where it will let you change the date.  Be sure to set your competition date and do not leave it as the default.  This date will keep the final online quizzes blocked until you decide the students should take the final quizzes that determine qualification or the in-person competitions.  This should be towards the end of the semester or by early January 2012 for Varsity and February 2012 for Junior Varsity.  If your students accidentally take the final quizzes then we cannot go back and delete them. 

Step 4:   Each student must register individually in their division and take a LifeSmarts pre-test.  Registered players may take practice quizzes and daily quizzes anytime.  Practice quiz questions change each time and is a great way for them to learn.  Students register by clicking either Varsity or Jr. Varsity links on the top grey bar or by clicking on Players in the blue bar and then "Register & Log in" will be on the left side.  Be sure they register in the appropriate grade division. 

HINT:  The computer will keep track of each student's practice quiz scores as long as they log in each time.  It will suggest topics they need to study more about and provide links for additional topic resources.       

Step 5:   Teachers take advantage of all the educational resources and current curriculum to help prepare students as much as possible as a team.  There is also a “Live” online competition they use to help prepare and encourage participation.  Details are on the website.

WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE COMPETITION?  You must have a minimum of 4 students on your team.  You may any number as the maximum.  There has been a school with over 300 on one team.  That will guarantee that the best scores are considered on one team.

Step 6:  Have all students individually take the 3 final online quizzes at a date set by the coach prior to the end of the semester or no later than early January for Varsity & late February for Junior Varsity.  Qualification for regional competition is determined from online quizzes and the average of the top 4 scores will be used.  If you team is invited to a competition you are allowed to pick your final team members (4-5) as long as they completed the final quizzes.

Step 7:  Wait to hear if your team qualifies for competitions.  JV teams will be notified regarding state in March.  Varsity Teams will be notified in January regarding online regionals.  The top teams from the regional Varsity competitions will be invited to state competition in Wichita during early March 2012.  State winning Varsity team will receive a grant of up to $2500 to represent Kansas at Nationals in Philadelphia, PA April 21-24, 2012.  JV does not have a national in-person competition at this time.

How does the program work?  
Coaches (teachers or any adult sponsor) from all over the state can register a team to participate in LifeSmarts^® at  www.lifesmarts.org.  Coaches & players may register at any time after August.  Coaches can register teams at that time or wait until a later date but teams must be registered prior to the closing date.  Teams must register with their team ID and complete the final three on-line quizzes with qualifying scores before the closing date for their grade level or they will not be considered for state competition.

A coach's guide will be provided to each coach at no cost after a coach registration has been received.  Coaches prepare their teams for competition through the use of the FREE educational resources online, practice quizzes on the website, brochures, booklets, videos, teaching guides, textbooks, websites, and other educational resources provided by government agencies, businesses, consumer groups, and trade associations.  Most of these resources are free and are readily available to teachers.  Check out the FREE online resources for coaches by clicking on "Teach" on the left side-bar of the coaches link in the blue section.

VARSITY (grades 9-12):
At the district level, the competition is Internet-based.  The students register as an individual team player with the appropriate team ID and complete the individual on-line portion of the competition.  The final three quizzes may be taken at any time within the competition timeframe.  Quizzes become more difficult as the player progresses.   HINT:  Your team should spend as much time as possible learning and taking the practice quizzes (questions change frequently) before signing in as a individual team player with their team ID to take the final three quizzes.  Scores will be calculated from the three final quizzes and they are made up of 20 questions each.  A team must have a minimum of 4 players to be considered for state competition. 

The top scoring teams with from the internet-based competition will be divided into regions for 3 regional competitions in February.  Regional in-person competitions are setup in an exciting quiz bowl type format.  Maximum of two teams per school at regional competition.  Regional winners will then be brought together for the State competition in Wichita, Tuesday, March 9, 2011, to vie for the state title.  The winning team will receive financial assistance for travel & lodging to represent Kansas at the national LifeSmarts competition on April 21--April 24, 2012 in Philadelphia, PA.

The state competitions have officials acting as Question Master, judges, scorekeeper, and timekeeper.  Officials are adults in the community who support education and who have special expertise in each of the subject areas.   

JUNIOR VARSITY (grades 6-8):
The top scoring teams with from the internet-based competition will be invited to Wichita April 2012 to compete in a quiz bowl type format where the state champion team will be identified.  Only one teams per school will be invited to the middle school state competition. 

Who operates the Program?
In June 2000, the National Consumers League (NCL) acquired the National Coalition for Consumer Education (NCCE), which formerly sponsored LifeSmarts^®.  The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is a national nonprofit organization that identifies, protects, represents, and advances the economic and social interests of consumers and workers through education and advocacy.  NCL operates LifeSmarts^® and works in partnerships with other nonprofit government and education groups in the states.   The Kansas Council on Economic Education coordinates LifeSmarts^® in Kansas.

Please contact Angela Howdeshell at 316-978-5335 or email KCEE@wichita.edu if you are interested in preparing a LifeSmarts team or have any questions or comments.

2012 Kansas LifeSmarts Sponsors

Umbrella Sponsor

Technology Sponsor

 

 

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