MANSON — Manson Northwest Webster Career and Technical Education teacher Matt Pohlman spent a week in Palo Alto, California, last month as a guest of the nonprofit organization Next Gen Personal Finance. Pohlman was one of 12 teachers from approximately 500 applicants around the country selected to participate in the NGPF July Summer Institute.

At the Summer Institute, Pohlman took a Stanford University course on design thinking. Stanford’s d.school — as the Stanford School of Design is known — is renowned for their leadership in the field.

At the completion of the institute, Pohlman earned the title NGPF Fellow and will continue to raise awareness of the need for financial education throughout the state of Iowa. Manson Northwest Webster has recently made the course Personal Finance a requirement of graduation for all students. The course covers several topics such as career planning, paying for college, taxes, saving, credit, investing, insurance, budgeting and other topics. There are only six states that require some type of personal financial literacy course for high school graduation. Manson Northwest Webster is one of only 35 Iowa public schools which require such a course.

“I made some great connections with educators throughout the United States and came home with a wealth of lesson ideas,” Pohlman said. “I was also convinced the Manson Northwest Webster students have a lot of opportunities we probably take for granted. It was a great experience.”