Two teams from the North Bellmore School District had strong finishes in The Stock Market Game, an experience that gives students real financial insight using fictitious money. Fifth and sixth graders in the ALPHA gifted and talented program participate in the game every year.
Each group gets $100,000 to invest in stocks of their choice. This year’s competition ran from October until April. ALPHA teacher Laura Conway said that teamwork and compromise were essential, as each group consisted of three or four students.
The fifth grade team of Ryan Diaz, Hailey Ianniello, Emmett Liu and Arielle Zhang placed second in the region in the elementary division, which consisted of 178 teams. They finished with $111,582.06. The group, consisting of students from Newbridge Road and Saw Mill Road elementary schools, invested in several stocks including Amazon, Coke, Lululemon and Macy’s.
Sixth graders Tyler Ashley, Haroon Chaudhary and Luka Pavsic, who come from John G. Dinkelmeyer and Park Avenue schools, earned third place in the middle school division. They competed against approximately 350 other teams, and finished with a total of $115,340.12. The stocks that made the biggest impact for them were Morgan Stanley, Spotify Technology and Sprouts Farmers Market.
Ms. Conway said that before the investing begins, students read “Lawn Boy” by Gary Paulson, a book about a young man who starts a successful lawn-mowing business. Students then talk about market trends and influences, as well as supply and demand. A total of 16 teams from North Bellmore participated in this year’s game.
The Stock Market Game is sponsored by the SIFMA Foundation. The goal is to make the most money over a six-month period, so students have to try to find stocks with the greatest short-term earning potential.
“For this game, you have to be more of a bull than a bear, because you have to predict which stocks are going to take off,” Ms. Conway said. “The Stock Market Game really prepares them for future investing and also gives them lots of opportunities for leadership and to have their voices heard.”
Date Added: 6/13/2025