February 11, 2022

Jordan-Small Middle School places first in SIFMA Foundation Stock Market Game

Jordan-Small Middle School fifth-graders, from left, Kolten
Gaudreau, Kaleb Fitch, Kolby Butts, and Cameron Lawler
hold up the SIMFA Foundation Stock Market Game winner's
banner at the school on Monday, Feb. 7. Jordan-Small students
placed first and second in The Stock Market Game for the Fall
2021 season. Fitch finished first and as a team, Gaudreau,
Butts and Lawler finished second.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA 
Students at Jordan-Small Middle School in Raymond are learning first-hand about the value of long-term investing thanks to the SIFMA Foundation’s Stock Market Game, an online academic and life-skills educational program used by hundreds of Maine teachers to boost students’ math, economics, and personal finance knowledge, while also improving their test scores and instilling essential skills for financially independent futures. 

Teams of one to four students at Jordan-Small began the simulation with an imaginary investment of $100,000 to trade stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and exchange-traded funds on the NYSE and NASDAQ.  The students followed current events and global news impacting the financial markets and placed trades in real-time online via computer or the SMG smartphone app. 

Jordan-Small Middle School Interventionist Jack Fitch said that the students participate in socially responsible investing by selecting companies that have been determined to be in alignment with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

According to Fitch, they also compete with peers in their classroom and with teams of other students in schools across the state to increase their portfolio value.

The Stock Market Game™ curricula, lessons, hands-on student activities, and virtual events combine content knowledge, critical thinking, research, and analytical skills in a state-of-the-art real-world simulation.

The online Teacher Support Center offers teachers a rich resource of over 1,000 lesson plans that reinforce Maine teaching standards, STEM requirements, and 21 Century Skills, Fitch said.

“The lessons and professional development opportunities for teachers are designed to help students learn the fundamentals of long-term saving and investing. Students enhance their knowledge in core curriculum subjects including math, language arts, economics, and social studies,” he said. “They also
develop life skills such as financial preparedness, teamwork, and business knowledge.”

The Stock Market Game continues to make learning about the capital markets fun and engaging, drawing students in and enabling them to learn about otherwise complex but important economic concepts such as inflation, price indexes, cycles, sustainability, and trends. 

“We are proud and thrilled for all of our student teams who reached the top spots in the Maine SMG competition,” said Melanie Mortimer, President of the SIFMA Foundation.

SMG Fall Session 2021 winners:

Elementary School First Place: Jordan-Small Middle School, Raymond - $113,982.82, Fifth-grader Kaleb Fitch                                  

Second Place: Jordan-Small Middle School, Raymond - $101,457.44, Fifth-graders Kolby Butts, Cameron Lawler, and Kolton Gaudreau.

First place winner Kaleb Fitch said this was his first year playing The Stock Market Game and he bought stocks he thought were good.

Individuals who came in first and second place in this game have a better understanding of the Stock Market now,” Jack Fitch said. 

When people talk about the Stock Market, these students have an idea of what people are doing – investing their money.

About the SIFMA Foundation for Investor Education

The SIFMA Foundation is dedicated to fostering knowledge and understanding of the financial markets for individuals of all backgrounds, with a focus on youth. Drawing on the involvement and expertise of educators and the financial industry, the SIFMA Foundation provides financial education programs and tools that strengthen economic opportunities across communities and increase individuals’ access to the benefits of the global marketplace. Notable Foundation programs include The Stock Market Game, which has enabled more than 20 million students to become financially prepared for life, the InvestWrite® national essay competition, the Capitol Hill Challenge, and Invest It Forward®. For more information on the work of the SIFMA Foundation, visit www.sifma.org/foundation. <

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