South Carolina Treasurer Curtis Loftis has recognized Fairfield Central High School’s Sabrina Cheek as the South Carolina Financial Literacy Master Teacher Program’s Educator of the Month for March.

“High school is a critical time for young adults to learn personal finance, as their financial decisions – and the impact of those decisions – become increasingly more serious and complex over time,” Treasurer Loftis said. “We are thankful for educators like Ms. Cheek who recognize the positive impact financial literacy can have on students. Her efforts will undoubtedly make a lasting difference in the lives of her students.”

In her sixth year as an educator, Cheek teaches government, world history and economics at Fairfield Central High School and serves as the co-advisor of the Student Government Association. Cheek obtained a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction in 2015 and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education from Concordia University-Portland in Higher Education. A 2009 South Carolina high school graduate, Cheek uses her personal experience in school as motivation to empower the next generation of students through education.

“As a graduate of a small, rural high school, I don’t recall learning about personal finance in my senior economics class. I had to rely on my own limited understanding and trial-and-error,” Cheek explained. “I am eager to teach the next generation of students about personal finance, so they do not make the same mistakes I made as a young adult.”

The South Carolina Financial Literacy Master Teacher Program provides incentives to K-12 teachers who are experts in the area of financial literacy and have a desire to teach professional development workshops to other educators in their schools and districts. Through the program participating teachers will have access to specialized training and financial literacy curriculum resources that will better enable them to promote financial literacy education in K-12 schools.