On Oct. 24, Early College High School student Mark Mallari and his history teacher, Joseph Kruk, placed third with their essay in the Fiscal Fitness: Economics Competition held by the Texas Council on Economic Education. This economics competition offered high school students in the DFW Metroplex area the opportunity to express their educated, nonpartisan opinions – in an essay – on the direction that the United States should take to continue on a road to prosperity.  These recommendations were based on research of the current status of the U.S. economy through the study of statistics and recommendations from experts in the field of economics and fiscal policy.