On a recent spring Monday morning at Dearborn STEM Academy in Boston's Roxbury neighborhood, 25 8th-grade students were in their weekly financial education class. Their teachers — Justin Cross, Store Manager at Fenway, TD Bank U.S., and Lou Pierre, Store Manager at Norwood, TD Bank U.S. — had one goal: to equip these students with essential financial skills early in life.
The class was part of a larger group of 110 middle and early high school students who were participating in the TD financial knowledge program through Dearborn Early College Kickoff (DECK).
Dearborn’s DECK program expands real-world financial skills with TD
The school's DECK program is open to students in 7th–12th grades and does not require testing for entry. Participants must decide by their sophomore year if they want to continue in the full college program during 11th and 12th grades.
The most successful students can graduate from Dearborn with both a high school diploma and an associate degree from a Boston community college without paying any tuition.
DECK previously included a spring semester focus on financial education with other outside resources, but local TD leaders knew there was an opportunity to provide more in-depth financial knowledge for the youth, who come from diverse backgrounds.
Learning the basics of banking
That Monday morning, Justin and Lou were teaching the fundamentals of savings, investing and budgeting as part of their first six-week course with TD and the Celtics CommUNITY Crew.
Along with four weeks of classroom learning on topics ranging from banking basics to credit to real estate, the Dearborn course included a banking career panel, a visit to the nearby TD Nubian Square community store, and special events with Boston Celtics players and TD executives. The semester wraps with each student creating a project on one aspect of finance to present at an expo event with their peers.
Sam Baker, Instruction Coach in Science and Pathways at Dearborn STEM Academy, said the students really enjoyed the sessions with TD. "They're excited about the curriculum. It's important to give the kids the vocab and context of finances now so they can go deeper."
"The experience has been enlightening because not so many people get to learn about finances," said Noah, a ninth grader.
Preparing for a strong financial future
Corey Allen, Director of Industry Partnerships at Boston Plan for Excellence and collaborator with Dearborn leadership, said the store visit early in the semester was especially impactful as some students and their parents had never gone into a bank.
"In Roxbury, we have more students who come into school miseducated about finances or with no financial education [than youth in other areas]," Corey said. "And now these students without prior experience with banking are talking to others about their classes. This program is the seed that will allow them to grow generational wealth."
Lou agreed. "We're at Dearborn Academy not only as a way to give back, but to help these youth gain tools to make better financial decisions 10, 15 years from now."
Back in class, a ninth-grade group learned about the 50/30/20 rule of budgeting — that 50% of pay should cover needs, 30% go toward wants and 20% for savings and paying back debt. The teenagers jokingly debated whether trendy fashion was a want or need.
"This is about creating a mindset," Justin said to the class. "What financial actions can I take today to impact my future?"
Going for a bank shot
In the gym after school that Monday, students participated in a group activity to test their financial knowledge. They visited stations manned by TD volunteers and Celtics employees to answer questions on key financial topics from homebuying to debt management. The competition was tight as they recalled their lessons from the previous weeks.
Boston Celtics forward Sam Hauser surprised the teens and spoke briefly about the importance of learning how to manage money at a young age and understanding how to make good financial decisions.
Each member of the top-scoring team received autographed basketballs, while the most active participants from each group got signed #30 Sam Hauser jerseys. The winning team then took the court with the professional basketball player for a knock-out round, with a student banking the final winning shot.
"Bringing a Celtics player here is exciting," Sam Baker said. "The students feel valued. These students have elected into the DECK program to work really hard, and it feels great."
Second round
The next day, 30 students went behind-the-scenes with the Celtics at the team's Auerbach Center training facility, where they toured the official practice court, locker room and other areas. The Dearborn students also received insights and advice on building confidence in finances in a special session with a current Celtics player and Celtics in-game host Melissa Valdez.
Allison Robinson, Head of Retail Distribution, spoke about her personal finance journey and learning from early mistakes.
"You're making financial decisions every day," she said. "When I got my first job, I was excited to spend my money and I did. But I was taught I need to save and make money grow, like you're learning in class. Keep investing in yourselves — financial confidence starts with one piece of knowledge at a time."
Karelina, a ninth-grade student, said the time and interest TD took to create the program and experiences will have a lasting impact.
"This has been a great experience to learn about banking," she said. "We need to do this for future generations too, because not many people [in this community] were given the opportunity to learn before."
We hope you found this helpful. This article is for informational purposes only and is based on information available as of May 2026 and is subject to change. This content is not intended to be used or acted upon with respect to any client's specific circumstances. For specific advice about your unique circumstances, consider talking with your qualified professionals.
Community members were aware that their testimonial may be featured by TD Bank, N.A. Testimonials shared reflect individual experiences and results. Application and approval for individual products is required.
No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, or referred to in any other publication, without express written permission. All rights reserved.
©2026, TD Bank, N.A and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
The TD logo and other TD trademarks are owned by The Toronto-Dominion Bank or its affiliates and are used under license.
TD Bank, N.A., Member FDIC
Want to learn more about Our Communities?