Hawthorne High School students in Gustavo Schell’s classes, Marketing in the 21st Century and Investment Strategies, have been competing in an online virtual stock market game throughout the last semester.
The game starts with students having their own portfolio and having either $100,000 or $200,000 to invest. The goal is to invest the money in ways that increase gains. There is a ranking system that shows who is in the lead each day.
Many students feel like this was a great way to open up their eyes to the pros and cons of investing. Brian Sommer, a senior in Schell’s Marketing in the 21st Century class, feels he has a new passion. “Before we started playing this game and before this class, I had no clue what stocks even were,” Sommer said. “Now I can tell you the ticker symbols of hundreds of companies, and I trade and sell stocks throughout the day.”
The class activity has also inspired many students to pursue and purchase stock in the future. Besi Xhakli, a senior says she has gained a desire to invest in the stock market. “When I am able to, I want to invest and buy some stocks for real,” Xhakli said. “This class has really opened up my eyes to the stock market and showed me what a little time, research, and dedication can do.”
As the game is coming to a close at the end of this school year, students are trying to finish the game strong. Schell is encouraging his students to use the information they learned from the game and his class to their advantage. “The economy as tough as it is; the stock market is a great way to improve your personal wealth without the long wait like interest in the bank,” Schell said.
The students are not going to be evaluated on how they rank in the stock market game; instead, they will be assessed on how hard they work and how much research they have done throughout the game. “The goal of this virtual stock game was to open the students’ eyes to something that they probably never thought of and to prepare them for their future,” Schell said.