In many areas of life, effort exerted now often pays off in thefuture.

Two programs, one local and one statewide, are looking to prove thevalidity of that statement.

Seeing the positive impact the local Mississippi Scholars programhas had on educational achievement at the high school level, LipseyMiddle School is implementing a grade-appropriate program for itsclasses to encourage students to attempt to excel in class. Theyoung program aims to encourage fifth- and sixth-graders at theschool to do well on state testing, maintain a high grade pointaverage and pursue community service.

City school officials are looking to expand Scholars-like programsinto even earlier grades. And county schools, like Bogue Chitto,are also recognizing the value of an earlier emphasis on morerigorous scholastic achievement and may pursue their own versionsof the program.

A hoped-for side effect of all this is continued parentalinvolvement throughout their child’s educational journey, ratherthan just during the elementary grades as is a trend now.Educational experts agree that parental involvement is a majorfactor in determining how successful students become.

With exposure to academic achievement programs in earlier grades,students will be more accepting and apt to enroll in theMississippi Scholars curriculum once in high school.

Those who succeed will be formally recognized for theirachievements and may even get a little financial help for college.And the overall educational impact on Lincoln County will benothing short of outstanding.

With the Mississippi Scholars designation on their transcripts,students should be more likely to earn more money in their jobs andenjoy a better standard of living.

A program designed to help them and others prepare for that outcomeis being promoted by State Treasurer Tate Reeves and New OrleansSaints quarterback Drew Brees.

Reeves spoke about “Financial Football” during a visit inBrookhaven Tuesday. “Financial Football” plays much like thepopular Madden football video game franchise.

However, in this version, players must correctly answer money andfinance-related questions to advance the ball down the field. Thereare various skill levels for different ages of students and easy,medium or hard questions that correlate to various kinds of playsof the field.

Copies of the game, including related teaching materials, have beendistributed to all high schools in the state. Reeves said the goalis to boost students’ financial literacy now so that will be betterprepared to handle money later.

Reeves said some people’s financial problems they are facing arenot their fault because they lacked the necessary skills to avoidthose difficulties. By introducing a fun way for students to learnabout money and how to handle it, he hopes to develop a strongfoundation upon which to build successful lives in thefuture.

With proper planning and a few breaks, having a good education canlead to a good-paying job and a happy, successful life. Takingadvantage of opportunities like young scholars and financialliteracy programs is a useful step toward the reality of success inlife.