Three STEM Academy at Bartlett students won third place in the middle school division of the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)'s national Stock Market Game (SMG). Students Gianluca Carimando, Brayden Peterson, Khushi Patel, Jayda Riley, and Martha Atena achieved the recognition. Dr. Jimmie Cave, STEM principal, says, “I'm incredibly proud of what these students have been able to accomplish. Their high placement in the National Stock Market Game speaks to their ability to translate the skills learned in FBLA to real world application. "
Students in the FBLA-PBL Stock Market Game (SMG) may work individually or in teams of two to five members to build and manage a successful investment portfolio of stocks, bonds, and mutual funds, using a hypothetical $100,000. They track their investments over the course of 12 weeks, receiving valuable opportunities to practice core math, English Language Arts, and research skills as well as fundamental business, economics and social studies content in a real-world scenario. Students competed from February 1st until April 23rd against FBLA teams across the United States. The STEM Academy team grew their portfolio from the initial $100,000 to $105,502.50 over the course of the competition.
“I'm extremely proud of my FBLA students for their national achievement. During this long competition, the students' focus, diligence, and teamwork was commendable. They thoroughly enjoyed the game while gaining financial & investment acumen. Given their varying ages, experience levels, and skill sets, it was wonderful to see them supportively work together to design a game plan and to pour their heart and soul for the team. Their drive and competitive spirit were often palpable. Competitions like these remind our students that there are lessons in successes and failures alike, and that it's OK to fail in order to win in the long run.'' states STEM Academy Computer Science and Game Design instructor and FBLA Chapter advisor Neeraj Jain.
