Senior Eli Gach and juniors Aidan Jenkins, Ahyaan Malik, Ezekiel Nikiforov, Anabelle Vasquez and Kali Wall were among two Shaker High School teams who recently placed within the Top 10 at the Junior Achievement (JA) Stock Market Challenge at Hudson Valley Community College.
The challenge provided students with the opportunity to apply information they learned related to investing in stocks and the stock market from inside the classroom.
The high-tech immersive simulation played out in front of large TV screens, with NEWS10 ABC anchors Trishna Begam and Stephanie Rivas projecting stock performances and team rankings.
The challenge involved teams, each with three to four students, from eight local school districts. Groups were measured by their mock investment portfolio’s ROI, or Return on Investment). Each group of students had a virtual $1,000,000 to invest in stocks. Days were simulated within a minute, leaving each team to pivot on their investment strategies quickly.
“It was very fast paced and exciting, simulating the trading floor of a stock exchange,” said Business Education Teacher Antoinette Randall. “To prepare for the challenge and support the students’ classroom-learning, professionals in the field of finance engaged with the students on two occasions prior to the event.”
The advice proved to be valuable.
Gach and Jenkins, competing under the team name ESA Investors, placed fifth after earning a 49.25% rate of return. The $1 million they started with gained approximately $492,500 more at the end of trading.
Malik, Nikiforov, Vasquez and Kali Wall, competing as Booming Bison, charged through the field to finish seventh with a 47.25% Return on Investment; walking away with nearly half a million more than that which they started.
The competition was organized by Junior Achievement of Northeastern New York, Inc. of Latham. The event hosted approximately 300 students representing eight high schools across the Capital Region.
This fun-filled, action-packed competition gives high school students the opportunity to experience the stock market first-hand while enhancing team-building and communication skills in a fast-paced environment.