Faculty Spotlight: Ilaria Belloni, Bringing Finance to Life in the Classroom

Ilaria Belloni, Associate Director of the Ross Roeder Institute for Financial Literacy, Entrepreneurship and Economics (RRI), is passionate about bringing the world of finance into the classroom at Shorecrest. Prior to the transition to the classroom, Ilaria worked for PriceWaterhouseCoopers advising Fortune 50 companies on improving their finance functions. A Certified Public Accountant, Ilaria has experience working in finance in different business settings including start-ups. She holds the US equivalent of a master’s degree in Business and Economics from Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan, Italy. Parent to daughters Sofia ‘27 and Mia ‘24, Ilaria was inspired by the launch of the RRI at Shorecrest in 2023 and excitedly made the career change to teaching. 

A founding gift from donors Jan and Craig Sher and Mary Anne Reilly spurred the creation of the RRI, a gift and named program made in memory of Mary Anne’s late husband, Ross Roeder. Community interest in and philanthropic support of the program has grown steadily since the program launched in August 2023 and students across the Alpha-12th grade school are benefiting. 

"Through the generosity of our community fundraising, we were able to add the Associate Director position this year and Ilaria has brought an immediate spark to our program. Her enthusiasm, curiosity and drive set an example of the best ways to move a program like the RRI forward in our school community," said Earl Walton, Director of the RRI.

Along with Earl, Ilaria is developing the curriculum for finance, entrepreneurship and economics for the School. “We are creating a program from scratch,” shared Ilaria. “It is a very interesting and creative process and I am truly enjoying it.” 

Teaching RRI topics to three-year-olds is very different from working with young adults, so lessons and experiences are tailored by division and grade levels. For example, in The Experiential School the RRI curriculum will include a couple of signature events, where the students are exposed to the concepts of value, trading, taking care of possessions and making choices with limited resources. Ilaria, The Experiential School teachers and parent volunteers are excitedly looking forward to a Winter Market in December where students can put their newfound skills into practice. 

In Lower School Ilaria has been working with teachers to implement the RRI standards that she and Earl have developed. She creates lesson plans around different topics and then goes into the classrooms to teach them. For example, Ilaria led a lesson in Kindergarten about money, how to earn money with chores and jobs, and how items have value. Ilaria connected the lesson to the pumpkin patch field trip Kindergarteners took in October.

“I love Ilaria's positive energy and commitment to developing a financial literacy program that is integrated into our curriculum. We love working with her and I know that over time we will be able to see the building blocks of financial literacy in our ES and LS classrooms,” said Dr. Lisa Bianco, Head of Lower School.

In Middle School Ilaria has worked with fifth and sixth graders on marketing and entrepreneurship campaigns focused on items in the Shorecrest School Store. 

“Ilaria has been a guiding force behind several exciting Middle School projects that combine creativity, data analysis and real-world business skills,” stated Chris Scoby, MS Curriculum Dean and Technology Coordinator.

Ilaria and Chris brought fifth grade classes to the school store to learn about high and low grossing products. “The students were so jazzed to get started on their projects. Based on the questions they asked, I could tell that they had already been learning about data analysis and marketing strategies,” shared Cayce Cirino, Marketing Associate and School Store Manager.

Ilaria also works with the MS Investment Club, which has 15 students from seventh and eighth grades. They compete using a stock market simulator, in which they manage a portfolio worth $100,000. The simulator mirrors the actual stock market so students can watch their investments make and lose money. “Some of them are very passionate about the stock market!” commented Ilaria.

“The Investment Club is very popular and is already at capacity," said Amy Brill, MS Head Dean. "In addition to the competition, Ilaria creates Gimkits (educational games) and other fun ways to encourage students to get involved in investments." 

In Upper School Ilaria helps Earl Walton with the Business Competition Club. These 38 students will compete in different business competitions throughout the year, with the challenges based on student interests. Some will create business cases where they create and give sales pitches in person to judges, while others will compete online by creating slide presentations and videos. Winners can advance to higher levels, such as district and state competitions.

With RRI in only year two, Ilaria is excited about the future of the program. "Earl and I have had so much support from our colleagues and from families, and the students are so wonderful to work with. I can't wait to see where this program takes us!"