Hightstown High School’s Consumer Bowl team is headed to the Central Jersey Regional Consumer Bowl championship contest for the third consecutive year, having captured the Mercer County Consumer Bowl championship last week.
The five-member Hightstown High School team beat Ewing High School’s team in a run-off match at the Mercer County Consumer Bowl contest Feb. 22 at the Stone Terrace in Hamilton Township.
The Central Jersey Regional Consumer Bowl championship will be held in April in Monmouth County.
Hightstown High School’s win marks the third time that it has captured the Mercer County title. The team won the Central Jersey Regional Consumer Bowl and the New Jersey Consumer Bowl championships in 2017.
The Mercer County Consumer Bowl pits high school teams against one another in a quiz-show style competition that tests the team members on good consumer practices. It is hosted by the Mercer County Division of Consumer Affairs in conjunction with the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs.
The Consumer Bowl tests students’ knowledge of the state’s consumer laws and regulations. The 20-plus topics for this year’s county competition included bingos and raffles, buying furniture, charitable giving, credit card skimming, foreclosure scams, hiring home improvement contractors, identity theft and phishing, and purchasing a pet.
Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes congratulated Hightstown High School team members Rishab Solanki, Vineeth Duggirala, Aayush Gupta, Maanas Manoj and Sonit Puri and their adviser, teacher David Teleposky, on the team’s “remarkable” run of success.
“I offer a round of applause to all the students for their desire to become more aware of the world around them. Being an informed consumer helps you understand your rights and to become an active participant in the buying process,” Hughes said.
Education is the best defense against consumer fraud, Hughes said.
Highstown High School and Ewing High School were among the seven teams that took part in this year’s contest. The other teams included Hamilton High School West, Hopewell Valley Central High School, Lawrence High School, Nottingham High School and Steinert High School.