Raleigh — The North Carolina Council on Economic Education announced Wednesday the winners of the 2018 Fall Session of the NCCEE-sponsored Stock Market Game Competition.
Teachers signed up student teams to compete with nearly 3,500 registered teams and more than 11,700 students across North Carolina to win this honor.
Under the stewardship of Ellerbe Middle School educators Nikki Covington and Leiah Jarrell, eighth-grade students Ashlyn Bouldin, Cadence Thompson and Layla Hayden placed third, respectively, in their division.
“Participating in the Stock Market Game was a great honor because of how much we learned about the stock market,” Bouldin remarked. “We analyzed live data in real time to make the best decisions for the group. “This experience brought us together and made us appreciate teamwork, communication and collaboration.”
The SMG is a statewide, interactive, online stock market simulation that teaches students in grades four through 12 about the financial markets and investing while reinforcing concepts taught in economics, math, technology, social studies, business and language arts classes. Additionally, the program fosters the 21st Century skills of integrating technology, research, teamwork, negotiating, communication, cooperation and financial literacy. Students also learn the importance of saving and investing at an early age.
Students participating invest a hypothetical $100,000 in stocks that they research, select and track while working in teams that are made up of three to five students. Students compete for awards regionally and statewide.
Sandy Wheat of NCCEE explained, “We sponsor the Stock Market Game in North Carolina because research has proven it to be a challenging, motivating, and extremely educational program that instills understanding of economic and financial concepts while improving critical thinking skills and math test scores for students.”
