Conemaugh Twp. students to staff credit union branch inside school

G.A.P. Federal Credit Union has partnered with Conemaugh Township Area High School to expand its student-run branches, allowing the next generation of students to learn financial literacy skills and become members of the financial institution.

A ribbon-cutting at the high school in Davidsville was held Thursday to celebrate the achievement. “We’ve been looking forward to this all year,” Conemaugh Township senior Jacob Bartis said. “We’ve been excited to see how it works.” The student said that excitement stems from the novelty of a credit union branch inside a school. “You don’t see this happening,” Bartis said. The student-run branch at Conemaugh Township is the third of its kind for G.A.P. Conemaugh Valley High School pioneered the model locally more than a decade ago, and Forest Hills High School added a student-run branch in April 2024.

The branch is connected to the credit union’s system and will function as an operational institution, including a cash
drawer. Students will have the opportunity to become members of G.A.P. and access their accounts at the school. All seniors will take turns running the school branch in order to maximize the experience across the class, educator LeeAnn Gall said. She teaches personal money management at Conemaugh Township and will assist in overseeing the facility at the school. Lindsay Knieriem, a Conemaugh Township senior, said it was exciting to have something that will “give students access to our money and how that works.”

She added that she apppreciates the opportunity to become a G.A.P. member and the convenience to access her account in school. The school branches are coupled with financial classes for the students that G.A.P. liaison
Sharon Lehman teaches. She said the students are “very receptive” to the course, and she enjoys educating them
on the subject.

Diane G. Lopez, G.A.P. Federal Credit Union CEO, said those at the financial institution are “big advocates of financial literacy.” G.A.P.’s relationship with local schools stems from its partnership with The Challenge Program. TCP organizes business sponsorships for schools that allow employers a direct connection to potential future employees while also educating regional youths on the careers in their backyards. “We work very well together,” Lehman said of the partnership with TCP.

Stephanie Daniels, TCP program manager, and G.A.P. branch manager Erin Schiffhauer agreed. Getting involved with the students is rewarding, Schiffhauer said. Daniels lauded G.A.P.’s expansion of credit unions in schools. She said that upcoming generations aren’t frequenting brick-and-mortar financial institutions as much as their predecessors, but the new branch at Conemaugh Township will help with that. “This is meeting them where they are,” Daniels said.

She touched on the benefits of interpersonal skills the students can explore while working at the branch and of financial literacy, as well.

– The Tribune  Democrat – 11/07/2025