Caldwell Trust Company Educates Students On Stocks And STEM.
Recently Susan Hines, a vice president and trust officer at Caldwell Trust Company, showed eighth-graders at SKY Academy how their STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) classes fit into everyday life.
An estate planner with a doctorate in law, Hines recognized the value of simplicity in presenting information to four classes—some 125 students—at the tuition-free, public charter school at 705 South Center Road. South County Family YMCA founded SKY (“Strength and Knowledge at the YMCA”) Academy in 2011 for middle-school students.
Hines introduced the young people to the basics of the stock market and explained how their STEM subjects underpin the many complex activities that run the financial operations of the entire world. With technological assistance from Sheryl Vieira, Caldwell’s marketing manager, Hines used PowerPoint slides and a smart board—an interactive whiteboard—to illustrate real-time workings of the stock exchange.
The February class is the most recent phase of Caldwell’s support for SKY. The company has been involved with the Academy since its start, with two Caldwell officers on the YMCA board: vice president and trust officer Wendy Fishman–then the YMCA board chair–and R. G. “Kelly” Caldwell Jr., Caldwell’s CEO and president. Support has been both in-kind and financial. In 2012, for example, when SKY needed funding to buy computers for students, Caldwell’s board voted to donate $10,000.
Hines may be contacted at susan@ctrust.com or (941) 493.3600.
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