Most people consult their financial advisers for investing tips and strategies. Now you might find the top advisers at your local school.
Students in Mrs. Bruister’s PACE class at Ackerman Elementary School were named Region Four first and second place winners in the fall elementary division of the Mississippi Stock Market Game and first place in the middle school division. (SMG). First place teams win $150 and second place teams win $100.
The simulation is one of the most effective learning tools available about the free enterprise system for students in grades four through 12. The program enables teams of students to invest a hypothetical $100,000 in the stock market over a 14-week period. Winners are determined on the percentage return above or below S&P 500 growth.
The Ackerman first place elementary team outperformed the S&P by 4.4 percent, and grew their portfolio to $111,900.51. The second place elementary team outperformed the S&P by 1.5 percent, and their portfolio to 109,059.23. The Ackerman first place middle school team outperformed the S&P by 4.1 percent, and grew their portfolio to $111,130.83.
The teams will be honored at the Mississippi Council on Economic Education’s Annual Awards Ceremony on May 8, 2018.
The curriculum used in the SMG is correlated with Mississippi College and Career Ready Standards. Teachers report that math scores increase when the SMG is used in the classroom.
The SMG is an online education program used in thousands of classrooms nationwide to help teach math, social studies, business, economics and language skills. Students in grades four through twelve participate in teams and manage a simulated investment portfolio during the school year. The SMG is made possible by the support of more than 600 securities firms, combined with grass-roots support in schools and communities. It is the only stock market simulation supported by the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq Stock Market.
Sponsors for the 2017-2018 SMG program are Atmos Energy, BancorpSouth, Entergy, Office of the Attorney General’s Making Sense of Your Dollars Program, Regions Bank, and Trustmark National Bank.
