Students further careers in finance at high school credit union

Date: 5/1/2012

May 2, 2012

By G. Michael Dobbs

news@thereminder.com

CHICOPEE — For Chicopee Comprehensive High School students Sara Baruffaldi, Nathan Roy and Samantha Roux, working at the new branch of the Polish National Credit Union located in the high school, is more than just a part-time job.

The three accounting students see the unique branch as a way to further their careers in finance when they graduate.

School and credit union officials formally recognized the opening the branch last week.

Polish National Credit Union President and CEO James Kelly told Reminder Publications the new branch was a "way of giving back to the community as well as spreading the word of financial literacy."

He said the involvement of the three Comp students hasn't been "one-sided" as the credit union has benefited from the student's help in setting up a website and the social media strategy for the credit union.

The three students have received "a lot of training," Kelly said, by working as interns at the Polish National main office last summer. Credit union employees Cecilia Wolanin and Urszula Kulig will supervise them at the new branch.

The high school branch will offer checking and savings services, but not loan programs and will be open Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Superintendent of Schools Richard Rege called the opening, "a great day for Chicopee Public Schools."

"This shows in a very demonstrative way what happens when schools partner with outside businesses," he said.

Comp students in programs such as electrical, drafting and marketing assisted with the design and construction of the new branch, which is located on the first floor between the two staircases.

Rege said that Director of Technical Education Ken Widelo came to him with the idea of partnering with a local banking institution two years ago after business teacher Pam White brought the idea to Widelo.

Rege believes few other high schools in Massachusetts have such a feature.

Roux said that students were at first "shocked" that a credit union branch was in their high school, but they are now opening accounts.