Looking to invest in the stock market? You might want to hire Deborah Shea’s eighth-grade class at St. Mary Catholic Community School as financial consultants.
That’s because out of 63 schools from the Diocese of Gary and the Archdiocese of Chicago that participated in the Big Shoulders Fund Stock Market Program this past school year, their portfolio had a 50.3% return, growing from $3,000 to $4,510.
The Stock Market Program, which also included Diocese of Gary schools St. John the Baptist in Whiting, Notre Dame in Michigan City and St. Paul in Valparaiso, provides the opportunity for students to learn about investing and financial markets in a unique hands-on environment. Big Shoulders Fund Northwest Indiana works with business sponsors who give each participating class $3,000 to invest in the stock market. Students manage their own investment portfolio throughout the school year while learning about the financial markets. Classes whose portfolios grow the most and the student who chooses the stock with the most growth receive prizes. Classes are taught by volunteer financial services professionals, who teach students about investing and saving, as well as about careers in finance.
More than 500 eighth graders gathered at the Harris Theater in Chicago last month for the capstone event to the year-long financial investment exercise, which teaches students about investing, personal finance and careers in the industry.
“We took our top 10 students to accept the class trophy and a donation of $1,000 to our school for student activities,” said Tom Ruiz, St. Mary principal. “We are so proud of our students, including our other eighth-grade class taught by Allison Perry, and we know they learned a lot about the financial world from the advisers from Oak Partners in Crown Point, who were our mentors.”
Each student got to take home a 2% management fee, which means “they had some skin in the game, too,” added Ruiz.
“Whether the stock market or mock trial program, we started with professionals stepping up, saying they want to give back and open the door to their profession,” said Dan Kozlowski, executive director of Big Shoulders Fund Northwest Indiana. “We hope the students had a good time, enjoyed it and learned something. There is so much information to absorb.”
Nearly 20 years old, the program has grown to include more than 60 schools across the Chicago area and Northwest Indiana. Each class was given $3,000 to invest, and they tracked their returns throughout the school year, competing to see which class had the best performing portfolio.
At the capstone ceremony, gratitude was expressed to the Stock Market Program leaders and Big Shoulders Fund Trustees, Charlie Bobrinskoy, vice chairman, head of investment group at Ariel Investments, and Jim Hoeg, partner at Alyeska Investment Group, who spoke to the students.
Career panelists Martin Cabrera, CEO of Cabrera Capital; Danan Kirby, vice president/client portfolio manager at Ariel Investments; and Suzanne Yoon, founder and managing partner of Kinzie Capital, shared their professional journeys with the students. Kristina Edwards, managing director of investor relations at United Airlines, a longstanding Big Shoulders Fund partner, led a mock investors’ meeting, where students asked insightful questions.
More than 150 volunteers taught in the program this past school year. Anyone interested in volunteering as a Stock Market Program teacher is asked to contact Andrew Palmer, director of corporate engagement and volunteerism, at apalmer@bigshouldersfund.org.
Caption: St. Mary Catholic Community School eighth graders in Deborah Shea’s class in Crown Point, top investors in the Big Shoulders Fund Stock Market Program that involved 63 schools in the Diocese of Gary and Archdiocese of Chicago, await the start of a capstone award ceremony last month at Harris Theater in Chicago. (Provided photo)
