Farmers and Merchants Bank stepped up to make partial or full remote learning in the wake of COVID-19 easier. Thanks to their sponsorship, over 1,000 students and teachers at DeLeon High School, Early High School, Eastland Middle School and Stephenville High School have free access to Banzai. Banzai is an award-winning online financial literacy program and content library of articles, calculators, and personalizable Coaches. All of these resources are available to students at home or in the classroom via any device that can access the internet.

“This is a fabulous program and teaches the personal finance skills that students need to learn,” says Jocelyn Etters at Stephenville High School. “During the past week, my classes completed Banzai Teen online. I think it was an eye-opening experience for most of them, based on the comments I heard from students. These are the types of skills that need to be taught in school!”

“Banzai is a web-based financial literacy program. Kids get their own accounts, and they work through assignments that are based on real life,” says Morgan Vandagriff, co-founder of Banzai. “But because Farmers and Merchants Bank is sponsoring it, local schools get it for free. More than ever, it’s important that kids develop sound financial skills to prepare them for the real world, and Farmers and Merchants Bank realizes that and they’re doing something about it.”

Banzai content builds a foundation of practical knowledge and gives students the tools to create a sound financial future. While students learn, teachers can easily monitor and grade their progress remotely. After finishing Banzai, students will know how to track where their money is and what it’s for, recognize financial trade-offs, build a budget, and more. At a time when many are facing unprecedented financial challenges, these lessons are invaluable. The Banzai resources are available at fmbanktx.teachbanzai.com.

Farmers and Merchants Bank is working with Banzai to build financial literacy in the community by investing time, money, industry experience, and a variety of bank resources. Beyond the Banzai library, Farmers and Merchants Bank also offers virtual or in-classroom presentations from local experts on timely topics.

Banzai resources are used by over 80,000 teachers across the U.S. The courses align with Texas’ state curriculum requirements, making the program a fun way for students to gain vital financial literacy skills.

Teachers interested in using the Banzai program with their class can visit fmbanktx.teachbanzai.com or call 888-8-BANZAI.

For more information about Banzai visit teachbanzai.com