ANGOLA, NY – Lake Shore High School students cut the ribbon Thursday on a Radius Federal Credit Union branch they run themselves, right inside their school.

The 11 a.m. ceremony was held on International Credit Union Day and marks a formal partnership between Radius, the Lake Shore Central School District and the Lake Shore Academy of Business and Finance. Within minutes of the cut, student bankers were open for business and serving their first members.

The branch gives students, teachers and staff a place to open Radius checking and savings accounts and make deposits and withdrawals without ever leaving the building.

Built by Students Since 2010

The student-run branch opened in 2010. Lake Shore students built, painted and designed it, with the technology department and the Academy of Business and Finance working side by side. Over the years, it has partnered with Evans Bank and Lake Shore Federal Credit Union. Now, with new Radius signage in place, the branch begins its next chapter.

Students Behind the Counter

Students run the whole operation. They serve members, process transactions and market the credit union to their classmates. Every junior in the Academy works the branch as part of the program's internship requirement, then completes a 130-hour paid internship the summer before senior year.

Over three years in the Academy, students can also earn college credit through SUNY Erie and graduate with a Certificate of Financial Studies.

“Our students take this branch seriously, and they always have. Partnering with Radius means real accounts, real members and a real credit union standing behind them. That's experience you can't get from a textbook.”

Marla Schifano, Academy of Business and Finance Teacher

Radius sees the school branch as a natural fit for what credit unions do best.

“Credit unions are about people helping people, and a school is a great place to see that in action.”

Rebecca Gunning, Chief Financial Officer, Radius Federal Credit Union

Photos From the Ribbon Cutting