Jessica Lewis, of Great Falls, along with Marshall High School classmates Ethan Epstein, Sam Hassett, Thea Prevalsky and Quiana Dang took top honors in the Virginia LifeSmarts competition, held in Richmond.

The team competed in individual and collaborative tests and quiz bowl-type rounds against other teams in preliminary contests, ultimately defeating the former state champions in the final round. Two of the team members placed first in the state in their individual categories: Prevalsky in the environmental category, and Lewis in the consumer rights and responsibilities category.

LifeSmarts is an educational program of the National Consumers League for students in grades 6-12 that prepares them to enter the real world as smart adult consumers. Participants focus on five areas: consumer rights and responsibilities, the environment, health and safety, personal finance, and technology. Content is revised to keep up with current developments in these areas and complements the curriculum in middle and high schools.

The Marshall team advances to the Life Smarts National competition in Denver in April, where it will represent Virginia.