Perdido Middle School’s 8th grade Humanities class had two teams finish in the Top Ten in Alabama’s Stock Market Game for the winter competition. The team of Myles Ledkins, Logan Ferrell and Alanna Cooley placed 4th and the team of Courtney Tyree, Chett Phillips, Chris Presley and Cody Taylor finished 10th, out of a total of 223 teams.  Myles Ledkins and Logan Ferrell are no strangers to winning, as they have place in the top ten every time they have competed for the past six competitions.  Alanna Cooley, Courtney Tyree and Cody Taylor have also placed multiple times.

The 4th place team gained $21,664.00 during the ten week period, increasing their total portfolio earnings to $121,664.00.  This was a 25.85% increase in their investments.  For Myles, Logan and Alanna, their favorite stocks were Apple and Chipotle Mexican Grill. They originally purchased Apple for $464.70 per share, and saw it increase to $633.88 per share.

Perdido’s team of:  Courtney Tyree, Chett Phillips, Chris Presley and Cody Taylor finished 10th in the state with overall earnings of $117,178.00.

Students who participate in The Stock Market Game™ program learn more than investing. As they progress, they learn core academic concepts and skills that can help them succeed in the classroom — and in life.Starting with a virtual cash account of $100,000, students strive to create the best-performing portfolio using a live trading simulation. They work together in teams, practicing leadership, organization, negotiation, and cooperation as they compete for the top spot. The setup is engaging, and the learning is a natural part of the experience.

In building a portfolio, students research and evaluate stocks, and make decisions based on what they’ve learned. Students at Perdido, begin researching and tracking stocks of interest several weeks prior to the beginning of the game.  Teams trade common stocks and mutual funds from the NYSE, Nasdaq and AMEX exchanges; earn interest on cash balances; pay interest if buying on margin and pay a commission on all trades. To determine why certain stocks perform the way they do or why the broader market has moved up or down, they need to understand how the economy works, and to calculate their returns they need to do the math.

Giving students a real world approach to education, so that they see the value of learning and how the skills they master in school will be utilized later in life is key.