Schools

Neuqua Students Portfolio Takes Them to D.C.

A team of students from Neuqua Valley High School were honored this week for their achievement in a stock game.

U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert met with students from Neuqua Valley High School on Thursday in Washington, D.C. to recognize them for their success in the 2011 Stock Market Game – “Capitol Hill Challenge.”

The students took first place in the game. They were able to grow their portfolio from $100,000 to $171,640.60 in 14 weeks. More than 1,600 teams in all 50 states competed in the challenge, across 215 Congressional districts, according to a news release.

The goal of the challenge is for students to get the biggest return on their investment. At the same time they are learning about math, economics, the stock market and gaining research skills, according to the SIFMA Foundation.

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“The wizards on Wall Street could learn a thing or two from our team at Neuqua Valley,” Biggert, Co-Chair of the House Financial and Economic Literacy Caucus said in a news release.  “These kids shattered expectations in a difficult market.  And they did it while learning the real-world math and finance skills that are critical to their economic futures.  I applaud their teacher, Mr. Geers, for his hard work bringing personal finance into the classroom, and the team for applying those lessons with such amazing success.  This is a great game, and a great learning experience.”

The Neuqua Valley team included: Kunal Kochar, Shamil Shafi, Shane Shafi, and Brad Stimple. The team’s instructor was Kevin Geers. 

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“Teamwork, communication, and researching skills are brought to a whole new level with this challenge,” Geers said in a news release. “Early on in the challenge, I saw a group of students very disappointed about a 20 percent portfolio loss work hours together to create and modify different strategies and turn their portfolio into a more than 50 percent gain! Whether it is success or failure with the portfolio values and investment choices, this challenge has brought market exposure, interest, and life-long lessons to many students at the high school level.” 

2011 “Capitol Hill Challenge” winners include:

-Neuqua Valley High School, Naperville, Ill., represented by Rep. Judy Biggert

-Oak Hill High School, Sabattus, Maine, represented by Sen. Olympia Snowe

-Westby High School, Westby, Mont., represented by Rep. Dennis Rehberg

-Mayfield High School, Las Cruces, N.M., represented by Sen. Tom Udall

-Monarch High School, Louisville, Colo., represented by Rep. Jared Polis

 

 


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