State Treasurer David Damschen to recognize 37 Utah students and teachers for winning statewide financial education competition
SALT LAKE CITY – May 9, 2019 – Students, teachers, government officials and local business leaders will celebrate the 37 winning students and teachers of The Stock Market Game™ spring 2019 statewide competition during an awards banquet on May 10. The banquet, hosted by Utah State Treasurer David Damschen, will feature student speeches, information about the competition and opportunities to learn more about financial responsibility.
Lincoln Elementary student Bergin Reilly’s team placed first in the elementary school division with a total final value of $168,294.74, over $38K more than the next highest ranking team in any division. Reilly said, “The game taught us to be patient and talk about what to buy and the reasons we believed the stock could help. When we talked to each other, we had to make important decisions using the problem-solving strategy.”
The Stock Market Game exposes youth to the stock market and gives teachers an opportunity to teach students important investing principles, such as diversification, portfolio construction, compounding growth and risk management. Utah County Academy of Science student Ashley Black said, “I am fortunate to have several family members who enjoy investing, and I learn so much by watching their choices and tactics. However, I know that many of my peers didn’t have any experience with the stock market when the game began, which is why I think this simulation is so valuable.”
The Stock Market Game is an exciting curriculum complement to many subjects, including personal finance, math, social studies, economics, business education, college and career awareness, computer tech and marketing. The second place team in the middle school division played the game as a component of their digital literacy class. “We used this game as a tool to increase our understanding of using Google Sheets, as well as improving our digital literacy and communication skills,” Vista Heights Middle School student Jillian Smith said.
Last fall, the Utah Office of State Treasurer assumed the responsibility of administering the game and the complementary InvestWrite competition, a writing contest that builds off of concepts learned through the Stock Market Game. Treasurer Damschen recently recognized the Utah winners of the Fall 2018 InvestWrite competition at their schools during assemblies and pizza parties.
“The Stock Market Game and InvestWrite competitions pique student interest in important concepts taught in the classroom by adding an element of competition,” Treasurer Damschen said. “I appreciate the incredible efforts of teachers and students to improve financial knowledge, and I look forward to the opportunity to celebrate their success.”
The awards banquet will be held at noon in the Wasatch Room on the 10th floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. Registration check-in will be at 11:30 a.m., and the ceremony will begin at 12:35 p.m. This event is open to the media. Due to capacity limitations, other guests may attend by invitation only.
You can find a list of the winners of the Stock Market Game and InvestWrite competition at: https://treasurer.utah.gov/financial-literacy/stock-market-game/recent-winners/.
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