State Treasurer Curtis Loftis Recognizes Denise Harrel of DuBose Middle School as Educator of the Month

Ms. Denise Harrel of DuBose Middle School, February Educator of the Month

South Carolina Treasurer Curtis Loftis has recognized DuBose Middle School’s Denise Harrel as the South Carolina Financial Literacy Master Teacher Program’s Educator of the Month for February.

“We know that if they are to make smart, informed decisions later in life, our students must have a knowledge of personal finance,” said Treasurer Loftis. “Our program is privileged to have educators like Ms. Harrel share her experiences so that other teachers can learn from her techniques and use them to help their students gain these necessary skills.”

Harrel currently serves as the career and technology education (CTE) teacher at Dorchester School District Two’s DuBose Middle School in Summerville, South Carolina. A passionate advocate for teaching financial literacy, she is an inaugural member of the Financial Literacy Master Teacher Program, which launched in January 2019. In addition to teaching money management skills to her own students, Harrel leads professional development workshops to help other educators learn how to teach financial literacy, not only in a dedicated class, but across the curriculum.

“By failing to teach our students financial literacy, we are allowing them to enter into the real world without the needed skills to ensure their well-being and success,” said Harrel. “I chose to become a Financial Literacy Master Teacher because my students – and all students – deserve to be empowered with the skills needed to be prepared for life after high school.”

The South Carolina Financial Literacy Master Teacher Program provides incentives to K-12 teachers who are experts in the area of financial literacy and have a desire to teach professional development workshops to other educators in their schools and districts. Through the program, participating teachers will have access to specialized training and financial literacy curriculum resources that will better enable them to promote financial literacy education in K-12 schools.

Sponsored by Future Scholar, South Carolina’s 529 College Savings Plan, and in partnership with SC Economics, this statewide financial literacy initiative aims to increase teacher support and involvement in incorporating personal finance education into the curriculum.

About Future Scholar
Future Scholar, South Carolina’s 529 College Savings Plan, is administered through the State Treasurer’s Office. For more information, visit FutureScholar.com or follow @SCStateTreasurer on Facebook. No state funds are used to market Future Scholar or the SC Financial Literacy Master Teacher Program.