Seven Whitefish High School students may have just become some of the most influential teenagers in northwest Montana after being selected by WHS from among 232 of their peers to become the first members of Whitefish Credit Union's inaugural junior board of directors.

Their duties as junior board members will include conducting their own board meetings, writing articles for WCU's newsletter and implementing a community service project, said Sue Schenck, business development director at the $1.2 billion WCU in Whitefish, Mont.

“One of the really important functions of a credit union, and also part of the credit union philosophy, is financial education,” said Schenck. “This is a great way to get the credit union philosophy out there and hopefully have some fun with these students while we're doing it.”

The students, four seniors and three juniors, will also spend time learning about the 77-year history of WCU and its place in the communities of northwest Montana. Guest speakers will teach junior board members the grassroots movement that brought about credit unions in America and basic credit union philosophies, the 57,000-member WCU said.