Lindsey Birch of Pontiac isn’t the most experienced bank branch manager around, but at age 9, she’s certainly one of the youngest.
Lindsey runs the newest NBD Bank branch, at LeBaron Elementary School in Pontiac.
She will supervise an eight-person staff of tellers and marketing executives, all of them fourth graders, none older than 10. But she is confident she can handle the job. “I’m responsible,” she said, “and I like to be in charge.”
Lindsey’s financial empire is a small one. Her bank branch will offer only savings accounts-no checking, loans or credit cards-and only to fellow LeBaron students. The minimum account balance of 25 cents wouldn’t even buy a candy bar these days. But by running the bank, Lindsey and other LeBaron fourth graders will learn the basics of business management.
Bankers see in-school banks as a community-service program that also may help them groom their next generation of customers. “This is probably one of the best ways to be a part of the community in which we’re located,” said NBD regional marketing manager Don Collister.
School officials love them because they help youngsters learn about money management and business, at little or no expense to the school system. The students wait on depositors, count money and do rudimentary bookkeeping. “These are lifelong skills,” said LeBaron teacher Shelly Friedman. “They’ll never forget this.”
When Friedman suggested the idea to officials at an NBD Bank branch down the street from LeBaron, she was surprised by the eager response.
The children on the branch staff were chosen from 73 fourth graders at LeBaron. Each underwent a mock job interview similar to the kind an adult might expect. Then, 28 children were interviewed by Sharon Laurain, manager of the nearby NBD branch, or her assistant, Diane McMillan.
Nineteen children made the final cut. The bank will be managed by nine of them during the first half of the school year, and the other 10 will take over in the second half.
