Located within Allen High School is a Credit Union of Texas bank branch called the CUTX SMART Branch.

In a nutshelll: The branch, a first-of-its-kind for CUTX, is staffed with high school students overseen by a full-time CUTX employee. CUTX President and CEO Eric Pointer said students, staff and faculty can open checking accounts, apply for loans and make deposits like any other bank branch.

The full story: SMART stands for Servant leadership, Motivation, Active learning, Reasoning and Technology, according to CUTX’s website. Students can apply for available positions and intern as bank managers, tellers, financial literacy coaches and marketers. Each student employee receives training in banking, marketing and financial literacy.

Toni Crisler, director of Allen ISD’s College, Career and Military Readiness, said it was a “very intriguing program” for students because those under 18 years old cannot typically work within a bank.

“This internship experience gives them a rare opportunity, if they are interested in going into the finance industry,” Crisler said. 

Need something to do this weekend? Here is a list of five events happening in the Allen area June 19-21. 

1. Juneteenth Celebration Concert: Extended Play will perform music from a variety of genres on the lawn at Stephen G. Terrell Community Park. Food, beverages and items from vendor booths will be available for purchase.

• June 19, 6-9 p.m.
• Free (admission)
• 1680 W. Exchange Parkway, Allen

• June 21, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
• $40 per team (registration)
• 1221 Johnson Road, Allen

Several construction projects are slated to start around Dallas-Fort Worth. The projects include renovations and new construction.

Check out five major construction permits filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation around the Metroplex.

1. Celestica main office and warehouse: Technology logistics and manufacturing company Celestica will finish out a 345,000-square-foot space in Richardson for its main office and warehouse, TDLR documents state. Celestica provides services for artificial intelligence computing and data storage, according to the company website. 

• Location: 2801 Telecom Parkway, Richardson
• Estimated timeline: July 31, 2026-Dec. 31, 2026
• Estimated cost: $17 million

• Location: 208 Coit Road, Plano
• Estimated timeline: Jan. 4, 2027-July 30, 2027
• Estimated cost: $5 million

The music lineup for the 98th annual North Texas Fair & Rodeo was announced June 16. The 10-day event will take place Aug. 21-30.

The details: Country act Diamond Rio will be one of the headliners during the fair. The band has been active since 1984, and their hits include "Meet in the Middle" and "How Your Love Makes Me Feel."

Other headlining acts include country artist Kody West, who is from North Texas, and country musician Chris Cagle.

There will be two stages set up each night: one will have the headlining acts and the other stage will have live music starting at 6 p.m.

What else? The fair is hosted by the nonprofit North Texas State Fair Association at the fairgrounds on Carroll Boulevard in Denton. All generated revenue is funneled directly back into local youth scholarships, agricultural programs and community facilities, according to its website.

The event has professional and youth rodeos, livestock and agricultural shows, carnival rides, food and beverage vendors. Tickets are now available on its website.