LOWELL – After much anticipation throughout the summer, Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union is proud to announce that their newest high school branch at Nashua High School South is officially open. To celebrate, Jeanne D’Arc staff, students and faculty from Nashua High School South, and officials from Nashua School District gathered for a ribbon cutting ceremony on September 15, 2017.

The new branch is located in the main entrance hallway of the school, and is accessible to students, faculty and teachers during regular school hours. It also includes a convenient walk-up ATM, a feature students are very excited about.

“It’s a great opportunity for students to learn about financial services,” said Donna Fitzpatrick, Assistant Superintendent of Nashua School District. “It’s important for them to learn how to manage money at a young age,” she added.

“Simply having the access here where the students can learn life skills without their parents is great,” said Keith Richard, Principal of Nashua High School South.

The opening of the new high school branch comes just one year after the Credit Union’s first New Hampshire branch opened in Nashua on Spit Brook Road in September 2016. The Credit Union also has high school branches at Dracut High School and Lowell High School. 

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to extend our mission even further into the Nashua community,” said Mark S. Cochran, President and Chief Executive Officer of Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union. “This new branch allows us to provide both convenient banking services and financial education to the Nashua High School South community. We are proud to be part of the school,” he added.

In addition to the in-school branch, the partnership between Jeanne D’Arc and Nashua High School South includes an Introduction to Financial Services internship course, taught by a certified member of the Credit Union’s Financial Education team. Through an extensive curriculum, students learn basic banking practices and gain valuable knowledge of financial products and services. The class also includes hands-on experience where students work in the branch, assisting members and managing cash.

“This is an experience that is hard to replicate within the four walls of a classroom,” said Mr. Richard. “We can only do so much, and Jeanne D’Arc was a community partner that stepped up to fill that void,” he added.

About Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union:

Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union was established in 1912 and is a full-service, member-owned community-based financial cooperative with more than 80,000 members and $1.3 billion in assets. It operates eight full-service branches in Lowell, Dracut (2), Tyngsboro, Chelmsford, Methuen and Westford, Massachusetts and Nashua, New Hampshire; high-school branches at Lowell High, Dracut High and Nashua High School South; a loan center in Lowell and mortgage centers in Chelmsford and North Reading.