GCS Students Succeed in Stock Market Game

Brenda Vazquez Garcia and Ismelda Dominguez Romero,

from Smith High, who won third place in the state’s

yearlong Stock Market Game.

Teams from Smith High, Northern Elementary and Aycock Middle take top spots in state-wide competition

"Greensboro, N.C. – Guilford County Schools (GCS) students are learning financial responsibility and finding new ways to use what they learn in class through the North Carolina Council on Economic Education’s (NCCEE) Stock Market Game™ (SMG) Competition. This year, a team from Smith High won third place in the yearlong high school competition and two schools took first place in the competition’s 2015 spring section.

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 21^st 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 invest a hypothetical $100,000 in stocks that they research, select and track while working in teams.  Students compete for awards regionally and statewide.

The team from Smith High came in third place for the state’s yearlong competition. They earned $125,692.65, a return of more than 22 percent. Senior Brenda Vazquez Garcia and sophomore Ismelda Dominguez Romero participated as part of their Principals of Business and Finance class.

Teams from Aycock Middle placed first and third in the Middle School division and Northern Elementary placed first and third in the Capitol Challenge Elementary School division. The challenge paired general assembly members to SMG teams in their home districts. Teachers signed up student teams to compete with nearly 1000 registered teams across North Carolina to win this honor.

“The Stock Market Game helps students build a basic understanding of investing while also providing them with real world skills in subjects like math, economics, social studies, language arts, business and other subjects,” says Mia Carter, business teacher at Aycock Middle. “Students learn how to work in and make decisions as part of a team.”   

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.”

About Guilford County Schools

Guilford County Schools, the third largest school district in North Carolina, serves nearly 72,200 K-12 students at 127 schools. With approximately 10,000 employees, the district’s mission is to graduate responsible citizens who are prepared to succeed in higher education or the career of their choice. Guilford County Schools is a national leader in providing specialized schools and instructional programs designed to meet the educational needs of a culturally diverse citizenship. For more information, visit the district’s website at www.gcsnc.com."

- A Press Release