EU News: Students from Ridgefield High School (Ridgefield, CT) Rise to the Euro Challenge

Five High School Teams Receive Dollars for Euro Knowledge

WASHINGTON, April 30, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- At the final round of this year's Euro Challenge competition, held today at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, five teams emerged as the winners. Students from Ridgefield High School, Ridgefield, CT (1st place), Hunter College High School, New York, NY (2nd place), Montclair High School, Montclair, NJ (3rd place), The Delbarton School, Morristown, NJ (4th place), and North Allegheny Intermediate High School, Pittsburgh, PA (5th place) beat top teams from 20 other high schools on the final day of intense competition. Now in its seventh year, the Euro Challenge is a unique and exciting educational opportunity for high school students from across the United States to learn about the European Union – the largest economic partner of the U.S. – and about the economies that share its single currency, the euro. Participants showcase their knowledge of everything from ballooning government deficits to rising unemployment, and make policy recommendations to solve these and other challenges confronting countries.

The winning teams will receive monetary awards provided by the Moody's Foundation, along with a trip to Washington, D.C. for the top two teams.

"It was truly impressive to watch today's competition, see how engaged and knowledgeable these students are and what creative solutions they propose for some of our most urgent economic challenges," said Ambassador Joao Vale de Almeida, Head of the European Union Delegation to the United States, at the award ceremony. "The competition has reached thousands of young Americans. It's a great learning experience for these students as they go beyond the headlines of economic news to fully understand key economic concepts and the complex realities faced by policymakers. By learning how Europe is dealing with these challenges, the Euro Challenge helps them to have a better understanding of how Europe and America are deeply connected."

The Euro Challenge fosters a better understanding of the European economy and transatlantic economic relations and it supports local learning objectives in economics and finance. Launched in 2006 with 10 schools participating from New York and New Jersey, the competition continues to expand nationally. This year, more than one hundred high school teams from 18 states plus the District of Columbia participated in the program. Preliminary regional competitions concluded in early April, with 25 schools advancing to today's finals.

The Euro Challenge is a program launched and supported by the Delegation of the European Union to the United States. The national coordinator of the competition is w!se (Working in Support of Education). The Federal Reserve Bank of New York serves as program advisor.

Other partner organizations include:

• Credit Suisse;
• The Federal Reserve Banks of New York, Chicago, Boston, Atlanta (Miami branch) and Cleveland (Pittsburgh branch);
• European Union Centers of Excellence at Florida International University/University of Miami, University of Illinois, University of North Carolina, University of Pittsburgh, University of Texas, University of Wisconsin, and George Washington University;
• The European Union Centers at the University of Indiana and Rutgers University.

For further information, please visit: www.euro-challenge.org

www.eurunion.org & www.twitter.com/EUintheUS

SOURCE Delegation of the European Union to the United States