MEDIA RELEASE

HONOLULU – The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) Office of the Securities Commissioner announces the competitors in the LifeSmarts Hawaii State Championship. The lineup for the state competition is made up of the four top scoring high school teams in the local online competition, which ran from October 26 to December 4, 2015.

The LifeSmarts Hawaii program is sponsored by the DCCA Office of the Securities Commissioner in partnership with the Hawaii Credit Union League and the National Consumers League. LifeSmarts is a consumer education program designed to teach students in grades 6-12 about personal finance, health and safety, the environment, technology, and consumer rights and responsibilities through online quizzes and in-person competitions.

“We congratulate the winning teams and thank all the students and coaches who participated in the 2015 LifeSmarts online competition,” said Securities Commissioner Ty Nohara. “We’re excited that a record 19 teams competed in the online competition this year and remain committed to growing the program to teach youth critical life skills.”

The top four teams are from Iolani, Maryknoll, Pearl City and Waiakea high schools. The teams will compete in-person 8 a.m. – 1 p.m., Saturday, February 20, 2016, at the Hawaii State Capitol Auditorium. The event is free and open to the general public.

The winner of the LifeSmarts Hawaii State Championship will be determined through written tests, a “speed dating the experts” activity, and a gameshow style buzzer round. The overall winner represents Hawaii at the National LifeSmarts Competition in Denver in April 2016.

For program information on the next competition season and/or sponsorship inquiries, please contact LifeSmarts State Coordinator, Theresa Kong Kee at 808-587-7400 or email tkongkee@dcca.hawaii.gov For up-to-date happenings on the LifeSmarts Hawaii program, follow the Office of the Securities Commissioner on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching “HISecurities”.