Jordan-Small students place first in Maine in Spring 2023 National InvestWrite® Competition

“Great things in business are never done by one person; they’re done by a team,” Apple Founder Steve Jobs once said. Jordan-Small Middle School students Cadence O’Brion and Kaleb Fitch couldn’t agree more.

Jordan-Small Middle School athletic director Jack Fitch (left),
fifth grader Cadence O'Brion, sixth grader Kaleb Fitch and
Sifma Foundation's Liz Reidel gather at the school in 
Raymond on June 6. Kaleb Fitch and Cadence O'Brion were
awarded first place in the 2023 InvestWrite competition.
PHOTO BY ERIKA GREENE   

O’Brion, a fifth grader, and Fitch, a sixth grader both attend Jordan-Small Middle School in Raymond, and they understand how teamwork can translate into building a diversified portfolio geared for long-term financial success. Their exceptional approach led to an extraordinary achievement in the SIFMA Foundation’s Spring InvestWrite competition.

O’Brion competed among thousands of other students around the country to write the best essay about long-term investing and the capital markets in the elementary school division. Fitch competed among thousands of other students around the country to write the best essay about long-term investing and the capital markets in the middle school division. Along with their teacher, Jack Fitch, the students were honored by the SIFMA Foundation during a classroom presentation on June 6.

SIFMA Foundation’s InvestWrite national essay competition bridges classroom learning in math, social studies, and language arts with the practical research and knowledge required for saving, investing and long-term planning. It also serves as a culminating activity for The Stock Market Game™, a curriculum-based financial education program that challenges students to manage a hypothetical $100,000 online portfolio of stocks, bonds, mutual funds and cash over a semester or school year.

SIFMA Foundation’s programs are proven to increase participants’ test scores in math and economics, encourage students to think more about budgeting and financial planning, enable them to work in teams to build their interpersonal social-emotional learning and better prepare them for college and careers. The SIFMA Foundation is committed to closing the opportunity gap by fostering greater knowledge of the financial markets for young people of all backgrounds, with a focus on underserved youth.

“I am delighted to congratulate Cadence, her teacher and their school,” said Melanie Mortimer, President of the SIFMA Foundation. “The research is clear that social and emotional learning is a critical component to students’ motivation, achievement and wellbeing. By participating in the Stock Market Game and InvestWrite, Cadence has learned how working with a team can offer insights and increase confidence to make informed financial life decisions and achieve better life outcomes.”

O’Brion found great inspiration working as part of a team: “Helen Keller once said, ‘Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.’ In this quote, she shows that teamwork will always be better than working alone. Teamwork provides many different perspectives on the same thing, causing us to change our views and learn new things. This information is especially helpful in the stock market, where many views are often needed to create an excellent portfolio.”

The Spring 2023 InvestWrite competition presented the following challenge to 4th-12th graders; “What are some benefits of working on a team versus on your own? Give examples from your Stock Market Game team or other examples of teamwork. Teaming up investments in a diversified portfolio also has benefits. If you could invest $10,000 now for a long-term goal, what team of investments, including stocks, bonds and/or mutual funds, would you choose and why?”

O’Brion impressed the panel of thousands of expert judges from across the financial services industry with a thoughtful and insightful essay.

But her achievement wasn’t the only one for her school.

“I am delighted to congratulate Kaleb, his teacher and their school,” Mortimer said. “The research is clear that social and emotional learning is a critical component to students’ motivation, achievement and wellbeing. By participating in the Stock Market Game and InvestWrite, Kaleb has learned how working with a team can offer insights and increase confidence to make informed financial life decisions and achieve better life outcomes.”

Kaleb Fitch said that he was confident about the competition:

“Thanks to the SIFMA Foundation and the different programs they offer to students I have learned a lot about the stock market and how it operates,” he said. “This is my third time that I have participated in the InvestWrite competition, and I found this writing prompt to be an easy one to write about.”

Fitch impressed the panel of thousands of expert judges from across the financial services industry with a thoughtful and insightful essay. <