Bismarck, ND - Students from Hankinson Elementary, West Fargo Middle School, and Carrington High School have taken first place honors in North Dakota for the Spring 2007 Stock Market Game (SMG). The teams receiving second place honors were from Hankinson Elementary, Ben Franklin Middle School, Fargo and Bismarck High School. There were 876 teams and 1,955 students participating in all grade levels of the competition. Winning teams in this competition increased their portfolio by as much as $42,000.
SMG is a free resource to North Dakota schools, coordinated through the North Dakota Securities Department's Investor Education program.
The Stock Market Game (SMG) is a ten or fifteen-week simulation of Wall Street trading that provides a framework for teaching students in grades 4-12 about the American economic system. Offered in the fall and spring semesters, SMG is available on the Internet and is designed for classroom use as a tool to increase understanding of the stock market, the costs and benefits involved in economic decision-making, the sources and use of capital and other related economic concepts, said Diane Kambeitz, Coordinator of the North Dakota game from the North Dakota Securities Department.
Individual members of the winning team in the Elementary division were Alyssa Beeson and Hailey Kloster of Hankinson Elementary, Hankinson. Their teacher-advisor is Carol Gurule. Winning the Middle School division competition was Nicholas Fladland, Javier Ortiz, and Jason Dickerson of West Fargo Middle School. Their teacher-advisor is Tim Scully. And, winning the High School division competition from Carrington High School was Corey VanRay, Bryant Stangeland, and Beau Ferguson. Their teacher-advisor is Karla Michaelson.
SMG is an interdisciplinary teaching tool that allows teachers to create and direct learning in the classroom in a variety of disciplines. During the ten or fifteen-week session, student teams invest a hypothetical $100,000 in common stocks on the New York and American stock exchanges and the NASDAQ Stock Market. Teams enter their transactions and monitor daily their portfolios including trades, current holdings, brokerage fees, margin interest and team rankings. At the end of the simulation, the winning teams in the elementary, middle school and high school competitions achieving the largest investment gains are recognized. The Stock Market Game was created and is made available by the Foundation for Investor Education, an affiliate of the Securities Industry Association and is offered in all 50 states. It is coordinated and made available at no cost to all North Dakota teachers and students in grades 4-12.
SMG is an opportunity for students to not only learn about the market and how it affects our economy, but also to think about preparing for their financial futures, stated Kambeitz.
For more information on The Stock Market Game, contact the North Dakota Securities Department at 1-800-297-5124 (local 328-2910) or visit the SMG website at www.stockmarketgame.org.