Students learn investment advice, win first place too
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A national competition, the regional contest featured 500, three-person teams. Starting with an imaginary $100,000, each team’s objective was to build as much money in its imaginary portfolio as possible during a 10-week period.
According to Opportunities.can math instructor and team advisor Bill Williams, the game served to teach students the basics of the stock market, as well as a bit of economics and short- and long-term investment skills.
“They learned more about the market, what stocks are and what makes them go up and down,” Williams said. “Our strategy for winning though, was contrary to good investment advice. We put all of our eggs in one basket and borrowed as much as we could.”
However imprudent their strategy might be in the real world, it worked for the local students. The winning team finished the regional competition with $122,876, while the second place team finished with $115,706. The next closest competitor was a team from Riverdale High School in Murfreesboro, which finished in third place with $110,253.
Statewide, the first-place team finished sixth in a field of 2,500 teams. Team members included Jimmy Eppes, Lynn LaFever, Jessica Judkins, Alyssa Bates, Johnathon Burke and Scott Leonard.
Bates said she enjoyed participating in the Stock Market Game and, as a result, is very likely to invest in the real stock market when she’s older.
“I learned a lot of information about the stock market that I didn’t know before. I just wish the imaginary money we used had been real,” she said.
In capturing first and second place, the teams received several hundred dollars in prize money, a small portion of which was used to fund a pizza party. The rest was donated to the program to purchase desks and chairs.