DOTHAN - Playing the Alabama Stock Market Game paid off for a Cottonwood High School class. The Center for Economic Education at Troy University and the Alabama Council on Economic Education recently presented a check for $250 to four students in Gayle Higley’s algebraic connections class.

Dr. Lane Boyte, Troy University assistant professor of economics and director of the Center for Economic Education at Troy University, awarded the winnings to 11th graders Stephanie Garrett and Kendra Thomas and 12th graders Rachel Morgan and Katlin Skipper. Competing against more than 150 teams, the students placed 2nd in the South Region, Upper Division during the 10-week online trading experience.

Working with $100,000 in imaginary money, they earned a profit of nearly $12,000. The experience taught Skipper and her teammates how to be more responsible with their money.

“I learned to spend my money wisely and how to make better choices,” Skipper said.

The students read Investor’s Business Daily and scoured the Internet for information about stocks and mutual funds. Their winning portfolio contained MasterCard, Baidu.com Inc., Microsoft, Netflix and Nike.

Each year approximately 4,000 students at 70 Alabama schools participate in the Stock Market Game, which is made possible with the help of corporate sponsor Sterne Agee. Dr. Boyte believes all high school students should have access to the learning opportunity.

“This training will set them up for financial success as they become adults,” Dr. Boyte said. “They will be able to make more informed decisions about their money.”

As the team worked to grow their portfolio, Morgan noted that they gained a skill they had not expected.

“We learned to compromise,” Morgan said. “We had a lot of fun.”

Mrs. Higley’s classes regularly participate in the competition, but this is the first time her students have finished near the top.

“Investing is not something most of us learn about at the breakfast table,” Mrs. Higley said. “It’s important that we give students a chance to become familiar with the many opportunities we have here in America to improve quality of life for ourselves and others through financial security.”

Teachers interested in bringing the Alabama Stock Market Game into their classroom can receive training through the Alabama Council on Economic Education and the Center for Economic Education at Troy University. For more information, contact Dr. Lane Boyte at Troy University at (334) 983-6556, ext. 1-245.

Photo by:  Inga Oberst/Troy University

Cottonwood High School students show off their Alabama Stock Market Game winnings. The students from Mrs. Gayle Higley’s class beat out more than 150 teams to place second in their division. Pictured are Rachel Morgan (front left), Stephanie Garrett, Kendra Thomas and Katlin Skipper (back – center), along with Mrs. Higley and Dr. Lane Boyte, TROY assistant professor of economics and director of the Center for Economic Education at Troy University.