April 8, 2019
By Alyssa Ferrara
Staff Writer
What are the three credit reporting agencies that keep track of your past credit transactions and give you a score based on your repayment history and creditworthiness?
Which unit of the Division of Consumer Affairs is responsible for administering and enforcing the bingo, raffle and amusement game licensing laws?
If a health club is closed for more than 30 days, what must the club offer its members?
If you know the answer to any or all of these questions, you might be a good fit for the Consumer Bowl team.
On Feb. 28, LHS took home fourth place in the Bergen County Consumer Bowl, which was held at the Bergen County Municipal Building in Hackensack. A total of eight schools from across the county participated in this game show-style educational competition organized by the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affair in which attendees responded to questions about the protections afforded by New Jersey’s Consumer Fraud Act.
While Rutherford took home first place, Future Business Leaders of America members chosen to represent LHS each received certificates of achievement. This year’s team consisted of seniors Isabella Castagnetti, Jamie Connors, Sean Leonard and Gabriela Schnur as well as junior Jordan Werner. They were accompanied by FBLA advisors Mrs. Jankowski and Ms. Silvelo.
Castagnetti, who participated in the Consumer Bowl last year as well, said she decided to return to the event because she was selected by her advisors and was already familiar with the competition and materials.
“I participated in the Consumer Bowl not only for the experience and to have a good time but also to learn more about consumerism in our county. As I prepare for college, it is my responsibility to be fully informed and ensure I make the right choice regarding consumer affairs,” Castagnetti said.
She said her team used the resources on the Bergen County Consumer Affairs website to prepare for the competition.
“My teammates and I dedicated multiple nights to meeting up and gathering material from the website [and] information packets to make a study guide that we went over in the weeks leading up to the Consumer Bowl,” Castagnetti said.
Werner, who participated in the Consumer Bowl for the first time this year, said what surprised him most about the competition was the environment.
“Because this was a business event, you would assume that the environment would be super strict and very serious. And while it was serious, they also tried to make it as fun as possible for everyone competing,” Werner said.
He said the biggest challenge of the competition was studying and learning the material.
“There [are] a lot of things you have to think about when it comes to consumer laws. Most of them are not common sense, so you really have to study them and think hard when asked about them,” Werner said.
Jankowski, who has been taking her students to the Consumer Bowl for nine years, said because it requires a major time commitment, when putting together a team, she selects students who show interest.
“Students must study consumer legal briefs in order to participate. These briefs contain a great deal on information,” Jankwoski said. “Our team meets up on their own time to prepare for the competition and will often split up the briefs and become experts in a certain field.”
She said the Consumer Bowl is a fun way for motivated students to become educated about New Jersey’s consumer issues.
“It’s a wonderful way to showcase LHS’ talented students,” said Jankowski.
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