Some local students are getting an important lesson with the help of some former NFL players.
"What we want you guys to understand is that you've got to compete in a lot of different ways, guys," Ronnie Lott, a football Hall of Famer said.
Hall of Fame football great Ronnie Lott has become a partner in the financial literacy program called "Winning Plays".
"There are things that maybe they could change that could possibly help them understand that there's a better way to make a decision about the dollar that you are working with," Lott said.
"Winning Plays" was launched last year in two other cities.
The all-male Eagle Academy is its first site in New York.
It was founded by financial journalist and author Stacey Tisdale.
"The fact that we help young people create the emotional, the psychological environment needed to develop healthy attitudes about money that will lead to healthy behaviors has caught people's attention," Tisdale said.
Ms. Tisdale feels that once students imagine their own futures, they will know what they need to learn.
"About 40% of the companies in this country will look at your credit history to determine if they're going to hire you; now they want to learn about credit cards," Tisdale said, "You have to make it relevant and that's what 'Winning Plays' is all about."
"With this course, it can show us the ropes, so to speak, on how to manage our money and become successful people when it comes to the economy," said Osmashola Oroye, an Eagle Academy student.
The Financial Literacy class will be held throughout this school year at Eagle Academy, starting with the senior class, with plans to teach each successive year of students how to make smart financial decisions.
