How one Commerce program is changing students’ money mindset.

When Commerce Trust data analyst Colleen Ho stepped into a classroom at Sumner High School in St. Louis last fall, she was returning to familiar territory. After all, she had spent 13 years as a high school math teacher before joining Commerce. While she wasn’t teaching algebra or geometry, she was sharing something equally important: financial literacy.

The coursework she was using was something she helped to develop herself. “I was fortunate enough to be able to lean on my teaching background,” she says. “I enjoyed being a teacher, and it was great to be able to tap into that experience again.”

That experience contributed to the creation of Money Matters Academy, a financial education program that reached students in two states during the 2024–25 school year. The program represents just one of the many ways we continue to be involved in the communities we serve.

Building real-world skills

As part of Commerce’s efforts to promote financial literacy in its communities, Ho led the effort to develop the Money Matters Academy curriculum specifically for high school students. The program focuses on practical financial concepts students will need as they transition to adulthood, covering essential topics like checking and savings accounts, budgeting, credit and loans — all delivered in an engaging, interactive format.

“Personal finance is a graduation requirement in the state of Missouri, so we knew going in that the students would have a certain level of familiarity with the content,” Ho notes. “Our goal was to augment and reinforce what they had already been learning.”

At Sumner High School, Ho taught four sessions throughout the school year – two in the fall and two in the spring. The students, mostly sophomores and juniors, responded enthusiastically to the hands-on approach.

“We had fun with it, creating a game to help the students review the information, and they really enjoyed it,” Ho says. “We really tried to make it so that it felt relevant to them and was understandable. We got great feedback from the students overall.”

Expanding to Kansas

The success in St. Louis opened doors for the program to expand. In Wichita, Kansas, Commerce team members used the Money Matters curriculum to teach financial education at McAdams Academy, a behavioral program that provides a structured learning environment for students struggling with emotional and behavioral disorders.

Sonya Thomas, a private banking relationship manager with Commerce in Wichita, had been connected with Ho during the development of the Money Matters curriculum, and she helped bring the program to McAdams Academy through her personal work in the community.

“I’m in the Junior League of Wichita, an all-women’s organization, and through them, I had volunteered at McAdams and gotten to know the staff,” Thomas explains. “At the same time, our team at Commerce was looking for additional ways to support the Wichita community, and helping to teach financial literacy at McAdams felt like a natural fit.”

Thomas says the program came together quickly, as the curriculum was already in place. “The Money Matters Academy curriculum was great, since it was developed to be engaging and interactive for the students,” she adds.

Making meaningful connections

Both Ho and Thomas emphasize that the key to successful financial education lies in building relationships with students. “When you can do that, the students learn more and it’s a better experience for everyone,” says Ho. “That’s why we try to make the sessions very activity-focused, getting the students involved and doing something instead of just lecturing to them the entire time.”

Thomas saw this philosophy in action at McAdams Academy. “The response from the students was great,” she says. “From the beginning of the school year to the end, you could tell that their perspectives about personal finance had really changed.”

A rewarding experience for all

The Money Matters Academy program has been fulfilling for Commerce team members as well as students. Ho brought a colleague with her to each session at Sumner, creating opportunities for other Commerce team members to get involved. “All three of the Commerce colleagues who went with me said they loved the experience of working with the kids and would absolutely do it again,” she says.

For Ho, the program offered a chance to return to her roots. “This has been such a great experience for me because it gave me an opportunity to teach again, and I have always enjoyed that,” she says. “I still have a deep passion for teaching.”

Thomas echoes that sentiment about working with the students at McAdams Academy. “I would highly recommend it to anyone,” she says. “These kids have probably seen a lot more than we realize, and being able to spend time with them and see that they’re learning — and that they’re excited to learn this information — was really great.”

At Commerce Bank, being an integral part of our communities is important to us. The Money Matters Academy program demonstrates how we can use our experience to make a real difference in young people’s lives, helping to prepare them for a more financially secure future.