Baraboo High School (BHS) in Madison won the top award of $1,000 for having the most students of any school in Wisconsin complete MoneySKILL, the American Financial Services Association Education Foundation's innovative online personal finance course. Representatives from BHS accepted the prize from Harley-Davidson Financial Services, Inc., co-sponsor along with the Harley-Davidson Foundation of the tutorial, in Governor Jim Doyle's office on September 21. The presentation took place prior to a meeting of the Governor's Council on Financial Literacy.

Michael Scherck, a social studies teacher at BHS, had 153 students complete MoneySKILL during the spring 2005 semester. Rhinelander High School was the runner-up with 65 students and Hillsboro High School came in third with 45 students. Several other state teachers received $100 awards for having at least 20 students complete MoneySKILL. DFI's Office of Financial Literacy managed the competition that also will run during the fall 2005 and spring 2006 semesters.

"I want to congratulate Michael Scherck, his students and Baraboo High School on winning this award," said Governor Jim Doyle. "I strongly encourage all schools in Wisconsin to take advantage of MoneySKILL. It's a great resource that costs nothing and requires little of a teacher's time but gives students financial skills that will last a lifetime."

"We are delighted to be part of the effort to build financial literacy in Wisconsin," said Kathryn Marczak, vice president, Harley-Davidson Financial Services (HDFS). "We congratulate Baraboo High School for its top finish and challenge every school in the state to participate this semester and next." HDFS provides wholesale and retail financing and insurance programs to Harley-Davidson dealers and riders.