A record 20 Upper Peninsula teams participated at the regional level of the National Economics Challenge, with support from the Center for Economic Education and Entrepreneurship (CEEE) at Northern Michigan University. Four of those U.P. teams advanced to the Michigan state finals on Thursday, March 24, in Novi. They will vie for an opportunity to compete at nationals in New York.

Gladstone High School’s “The Perfect Substitutes” team, coached by Erika Fix, was crowned as U.P. champions and will receive a scholarship from the CEEE to help defray travel expenses to the state finals. Fix also coaches Gladstone’s second qualifying team, "David and the Ricardos." The two remaining teams headed to Novi include Forest Park High School, coached by MaryAnn Johnson, and Sault Ste. Marie High School, coached by Chad Folkersma.

The National Economics Challenge (NEC) is recognized as the nation’s most prestigious high school economics competition. It recognizes exceptional high school students for their knowledge of economic principles and their ability to apply problem-solving and critical-thinking skills to real-world events. More than 10,000 students participate in the challenge each year.

The CEEE at NMU has worked over the winter with high school students and coaches across the Upper Peninsula participating in the challenge. Four of the 14 teams that qualified for the Michigan finals are from the Upper Peninsula.