Mane Stang Bank

Mane+Stang+Bank

Caleb Buford

Caleb Buford, Messenger Reporter & Business Manager

McCracken County High School is one of the largest schools in our area, providing a variety of new opportunities and experiences to the 2,106 students. One of those rare, unique opportunities available would be the Mane Stang Bank, a high-school level bank operated and managed by McCracken County High School students, in cooperation with Community Financial Services Bank (CFSB). The bank had its official yearly ribbon cutting ceremony on September 18th with officials from CFSB and all of the Mane Stang Bank staff. With a staff of high school students, how does this bank start? How did this bank come to be?
The idea of a student-ran bank started at Marshall County High School when they opened Star Bank, the first student-run bank that is in co-operation with CFSB in our area. McCracken loved the idea and also decided to join forces and create their own bank here appellated the Mane Stang Bank. The bank is supervised by Mr. Shannon Mungle, a business teacher at MCHS. “I play a supervisor, coordinator role. I oversee and make sure they do their job,” stated Mr. Mungle. Each semester, his 4th block Personal Finance class runs the bank. “Each of the students have their own role, and they are responsible for running the bank.” Though the students are assigned roles, it is a more complex process than simply being appointed by Mr. Mungle. “At the beginning of the semester, we go through an application and interview process from CFSB,” stated Clayton Turnbow, a Senior at MCHS and the President of the Mane Stang Bank. “We all interviewed, applying for specific positions, went to CFSB one day and they gave us our positions.”
But, this being a personal finance class, why are they running a bank? Personal finance has a large correlation to banking due to the idea that people keep their money and investments in a bank, making it a great asset to learn how financial accounts are managed and how loans work on both sides of the table. Being able to work with staff from an established bank in our area can also help provide insight of what kind of finance careers are available and what to expect going into that type of career.
The Mane Stang Bank is open to any and all McCracken County High School students, teachers, and clubs. Those depositing their money can help them keep track of their finances and also help to create a learning experience for those running the bank. Mane Stang Bank opened officially on September 19th and will be open every day during 4th block. For more information on opening an account or loans, visit the Mane Stang Bank in the Baptist Health Café.