Treasurer Oaks to recognize Utah students and teachers for winning the Fall 2023 Utah Treasurer’s Investment Challenge
SALT LAKE CITY – January 24, 2024 – Utah Treasurer Marlo M. Oaks today announced his office is hosting an awards banquet to honor the winners of the Fall 2023 Utah Treasurer’s Investment Challenge on Friday, January 26. The banquet will feature student speeches and a keynote address by Kitty Swenson, Vice President of Director Client Services at Wasatch Global Investors.
More than 4,500 students from across the state participated in the Fall 2023 challenge, competing in elementary, middle, and high school divisions.
The Utah Treasurer’s Investment Challenge is a 10-week simulation of Wall Street investing that provides a framework for Utah students to learn about the U.S. economy and financial markets. During the game, students invest a hypothetical $100,000 in common stocks and diversified investment funds traded on major exchanges. Teams are ranked based on the ending value of their investment portfolios.
The banquet will also celebrate the students who placed in the Utah Investment Challenge Essay, an essay contest rolled out alongside the Investment Challenge to further critical thinking and application of financial literacy.
“When integrated with other curriculum, the simulation helps students understand stock market dynamics, how future revenue and earnings growth expectations drive stock prices, the risks involved in short-term market fluctuations, and other investment concepts,” Treasurer Oaks said. “I appreciate the efforts of our teachers to help improve the financial knowledge of our next generation, and I’m proud of the students for their hard work.”
The awards banquet will be held in the Canyons Ballroom at the Sheraton Salt Lake City Hotel. Registration check-in will begin at 11:30 a.m., and the program will kick off at noon. This event is open to the media. Due to capacity limitations, other guests may attend by invitation only.
The Fall 2023 Utah Treasurer’s Investment winning teams represent the following schools:
Elementary School Division
- 1st Place: Elk Meadows Elementary (South Jordan)
- 2nd Place: Discovery Elementary School/Homeschool (Vernal)
- 3rd Place: HighMark Charter School (South Weber)
Middle/Jr. High School Division
- 1st Place: Vista Heights Middle School (Saratoga Springs)
- 2nd Place: Frontier Middle School (Eagle Mountain)
- 3rd Place: Tooele Junior High School (Tooele)
High School Division
- 1st Place: Westlake High School (Saratoga Springs)
- 2nd Place: Skyline High School (Salt Lake City)
- 3rd Place: Skyridge High School (Lehi)
A list of the Utah Treasurer’s Investment Challenge winners is available at: treasurer.utah.gov/recent-winners.