Hillcrest HS's Entrepreneurship Students Hard Work is Paying Dividends

The first thing you notice when walking into Mr. Dave Braden’s Entrepreneurship class at Hillcrest High School is that it is a busy place. Whether it is students working on publishing a business newsletter, or students checking stock prices, there is always something going on. This hard work has paid dividends towards the learning that has been accomplished. Mr. Braden’s Entrepreneurship class is currently sitting in the number two position within the rankings of the Stock Market game for Cook County and the Southwest Suburbs. His students have enjoyed remarkable success and have hopes of claiming the number one spot when the game ends. They are currently $300 out of first place and have stock purchases that continue to rise. In interviewing students Jayel Taylor and Camisha Robinson, they were quick to agree upon three important ideas that studying the market has ingrained within them: You must watch the market every day; you need to take inventory of a larger picture of the companies you invest in (look at their 52 week earnings statement); and you need to speculate (thoughtfully consider) on the types of stocks you invest in. To translate this into everyday skills, you must apply yourself every day, see the big picture, and think carefully.

Both students agreed that knowledge of the market and the information contained within a business course were good pieces of information to carry through life. They also were grateful for the ability to earn dual credit in the Entrepreneurship class, as well as understand how things like their retirement funds and investors earn money.