KIMBALL -- Mary Lynch Elementary held its first Deposit Day of its student savings program on September 5, which brought in $563.35 by the students.

The school partnered with FirstTier Bank to bring an in-school bank to the elementary school called The Longhorn Branch.

Each Thursday, bank employees visit the school to set up the “bank” in the library with the help of five 6th-grade students as the bank tellers. 

These five students applied for the job at the end of their fifth-grade year, and after the interview process, they got the job to help with the bank this year. 

Fifty-eight students have signed up so far to participate in the program, and 49 of those participated on opening day. Students who wish to put money in their savings account can bring money every week in a deposit slip that is provided by the school.  

The bank tellers record every students’ deposit in a registry to keep track of what each student has saved. The students are presented with their savings at their sixth-grade graduation. 

Mary Lynch Elementary Principal Amanda Culek says, “[This program] is truly trying to raise financially responsible kiddos, and just giving that one more opportunity to give exposure to that.” 

FirsTier Bank also matched students’ first deposit up to $5, so they matched the first $5 for every deposit that was made. With the bank match, the total money saved is $803.35 after the first deposit day. 

The students will also earn little prizes as they hit certain milestones with their deposits. For example, when a student makes their first deposit, they get a candy bar, and after three deposits they get a special eraser or highlighter, and so on. 

FirsTier Bank will be sending out a weekly newsletter giving the results of what was saved that week by students, along with offering a financial tidbit.