Students finish second in stock market game
Highland students finish second in statewide stock market game
Months of research, strategizing and some big bets paid off for a team
of students at Highland School of Technology, who recently beat out nearly
1,000 other teams in the state to earn second place in the Fall 2014 Stock
Market Game sponsored by the North Carolina Council on Economic Education
(NCCEE).
By growing their virtual portfolio from $100,000 to $118,077.29, the
team of Emani Crawford, Matthew Noles and Noah Goble, juniors in Dan
Froelich’s business and financial planning class, earned first place in the
western region for high schools.
Although they just missed the statewide title -- the winning team earned
$500 more -- the students said they enjoyed the experience and the chance
to learn lessons they wouldn’t typically get in the classroom, such as what it’s
like to lose $20,000 in a day.
Crawford, Noles and Goble were one of eight teams in Froehlich’s class
participating in the game, which ran from October through December.
Students had to build and manage a $100,000 investment portfolio that
involved buying and selling stock while researching businesses and keeping
track of current events that might affect the markets.
Four Highland teams placed in the top 50 in the state, but Crawford,
Noles and Goble took a risky route that paid off in the end. The class checked
their statewide rankings each day, and their team was dead last at one point.
Nevertheless, they stuck with their strategy of “large bets on micro cap
securities,” said Noles, who is aiming for a career on Wall Street.
“They had to practice patience. A lot of other teams would have given
up and sold everything off,” Froehlich said. “They stuck with it and saw the
rewards from that persistence.”
Goble and Noles said they worked on the game at home and when they
had time during the day.
“I got a little obsessive at points,” Noles said. “I would be trading in first
period to get my portfolio where I wanted it to be.”
Froehlich said this was the first year his class has participated in the
Stock Market Game, which is designed to teach students the fundamentals
of personal finance and investing while practicing skills in math, economics,
social studies and other subjects. It also sharpens a student’s ability to think
critically and solve problems.
Haircut event at Early College helps cancer
patients
Gaston Early College High School sponsors
“Cuts for Kindness” event to help cancer patients
Students at the Gaston Early College High School have already
given 1,582 hours of service to the community this school year.
Now, they can add something else to that total: 86 inches of hair.
At the school’s first-ever “Cuts for Kindness” event, two
teachers and eight students donated more than seven feet of hair to
be made into wigs for cancer patients.
During an afternoon program, the donors let friends and loved
ones take scissors to their ponytails for a “first cut” in front of an
audience of students, teachers, family and community members.
After the “first cut,” local stylists volunteered their time to style the
donors’ new haircuts.
The Early College Beta Club partnered with Pantene’s Beautiful
Lengths charity, which donates free real-hair wigs to the American
Cancer Society.
Biology teacher Lauren Dixon coordinated the event, and
explained that it continues the Early College’s focus on developing
students into leaders.
“This is another way to give back to our community,” said
Dixon, who was one of the teachers who had her cut. “I think the
Pantene program is just a beautiful way to show cancer patients
that we care.”
6 • March/April 2015 • Parent Teacher Magazine
A student team from Highland School of Technology took second
place out of nearly 1,000 teams statewide in the North Carolina
Council on Economic Education’s Stock Market Game. Teacher
Dan Froehlich, back left, coached the winning team of (from
left) Matthew Noles, Noah Goble and Emani Crawford.
“It was great for them to get that real-world experience,” Froehlich said.
“Even though we had students on many different skill levels, they all learned
a lot. They were engaged and discussing it outside of class. The competition
aspect kept them interested and part of the joy came from the freedom to
lose $20,000.”
The team will be invited to attend one of the NCCEE’s awards banquet
ceremonies in May.