MSMS 7th Graders Take First Place in Middle School Division of Mass Stock Market Game

The following is a story from the Marshall Simonds Middle School blog written by Sue Rogers.

’ students, Ryan Ostlund and Ameen Jamal-Eddine were honored by The Boston Globe, the SIFMA Foundation and the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association during an awards ceremony held Thursday, May 26, 2011.  The boys, students in the MSMS BEAM program, were one of nine MSMS teams enrolled in the year-long session (Sept. 2010 thru April 2011) of The Stock Market Game. 

After learning the basics of investing and following the established rules, the boys took their virtual $100,000.00 and built a portfolio consisting of stocks, bonds and mutual funds.  In their speech at the awards luncheon, the students revealed that at the start, they knew little about stocks.  Ryan noted that they learned about ‘diversification’, “when stocks should represent different sectors of the market like technology, retail, and telecommunications.  We made our investment decisions based upon companies that made popular products, such as Motorola and recently established companies that were likely to grow, such as Alliance Fiber Optics.” 

Ameen added that the simulation was “far more interesting than a regular class because it was like a reality game show, and the best part of learning how to invest is when you can use someone else’s “money”, so you can focus on studying the Market and watching how investments work.”

The simulation, which occurs in real time, allows students to learn about investing in markets while removing the worry of losing “real” money.  While Ryan and Ameen were one of nine MSMS investment teams, they took first place overall out of 382 other middle school teams with a portfolio equity valued at $142,644.09.

While only first and second place teams are recognized, MSMS did have teams that ranked in respectable 5th, 15th, and 26th  places.  Remaining MSMS teams finished in up in the 57th, 73rd, 181st, 259th, and 271st spots. 

Both boys look forward to the day when we can apply what we learned using their own “real” money. 

Looking for some good stock tips?  Their portfolio’s largest unrealized gains came from Sina Corporation (SINA)—158%, Ariba Incorporated (ARBA)—83% and Alexion Pharmeceuticals (ALXN)—54%. 

The SIFMA Foundation provides the generous grant which allows educators to participate in the Stock Market Game at no cost.