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CenturyLink Montana

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MONTANA HIGH SCHOOLERS VIE FOR VIRTUAL BUSINESS VICTORY WITH QWEST FOUNDATION GRANT

"High School Business Challenge" Combines Business Education With Career-Oriented Competition


CenturyLink Montana President David Gibson (center) presents a check to (from L to R): Rep. Jon Sonju (Kalispell), Rep. Scott Mendenhall (Clancy), Kerry Schaefer (Montana Chamber Foundation) and Rep. Bill Thomas (Great Falls)

HELENA, Mont., Aug. 14, 2008 – The CenturyLink Foundation today announced it has donated $4,000 to High School Business Challenge (HSBC), a program that educates high school students about business principles. Through the program, students compete to develop and manage the most successful virtual company, and in so doing, gain valuable insight into career opportunities and business skills.

“Many students see the business world as something they can focus on once they graduate, but it’s important to teach them real-world principles and theories before they leave high school,” said Webb Brown, executive director of the Montana Chamber Foundation, which manages HSBC. “The skills they learn in HSBC can be put to use immediately as they evaluate future careers and life decisions, and we thank the CenturyLink Foundation for sponsoring student success.”

HSBC is Montana’s leading extracurricular business education program offered to high schools and post-secondary educational institutions statewide. Nearly one-third of Montana’s high schools participate in this business education simulation, which teaches students key business and personal investment skills to help them make future education, career and business decisions. Teams learn teamwork, economic analysis, marketing, sales, inventory management, cash flow, financing and other tools that impact results of the simulation as well as case study decisions over the eight-week course.

During the 2007 to 2008 school year more than 1,500 students participated in HSBC, which is supported financially by businesses, individuals and foundations from Montana and across the nation.

“Now more than ever, it’s important for students to understand business concepts so they can apply critical thinking, self-motivation and other business skills to their current and future educational paths, and CenturyLink is pleased to support this essential program,” said CenturyLink Montana President David Gibson.

Gibson presented the grant check to Rep. Jon Sonju (Kalispell); Rep. Scott Mendenhall (Clancy); HSBC Coordinator Kerry Schaefer; and Rep. Bill Thomas (Great Falls) earlier this month during the Montana Chamber Foundation’s annual meeting.

About the CenturyLink Foundation:

The CenturyLink Foundation's core principle is that investing in people and communities provides lasting value for the future. The CenturyLink Foundation awards grants to community-based programs that generate high-impact and measurable results, focusing on pre-K through grade 12 education.

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