Reality sets in as local students get life lessons
Wanda English Burnett - Editor

Over 500 eighth graders from all Ripley County schools participated in WRBI's Reality Check at the Jac-Cen-Del High School on Thursday, October 7.

There they found out what life's all about by choosing an occupation, opening a checking account, deciding on how big their family will be and much more.

Ron Green, General Manager for WRBI noted that the radio station has sponsored the program for the past six years and it is a real "eye-opener" for the students as they see just how much everything costs. They also can see that their life is fashioned from the very decisions they make.

The eighth graders get to decide what kind of a car they will drive, how many children they will have, how much they will spend for entertainment, and what kind of an occupation they will choose in life to support this.

The gymnasium becomes a giant world where tables are set up with various businesses in the community coming together to support the effort by helping the students with the program. Eighteen different booths were set up and students passed through each one making decisions on their own.

"How much?" one student asked in shock at the insurance table. "You could always get a second job," she was told by Gara Burnett, who is the Office Manager at WRBI. Students learn they can make it, but might have to go the extra mile.

The students were also found at the voting booth actually voting a real ballot. Both the Ripley County Democrat and Republican parties were represented showing the children what a ballot looks like and
how the process is done.

At the end the students were treated to a snack sponsored by McDonald's and able to leave the "real world" and go back to class, where all they need to worry about are their grades.

WANDA ENGLISH BURNETT PHOTO

Seated left is Mary Mattingly, News Director for Batesville's WRBI Radio Station, who is helping eighth graders with the process of paying their insurance bill. The students from Jac-Cen-Del, South Ripley, Milan, Batesville, St. Louis and St. Nicholas gathered at Jac-Cen-Del High School Gymnasium on Thursday, October 7, to participate in the sixth annual Reality Check sponsored by WRBI.