Sixth Graders Hit Easy Street on Wall Street

Hawken sixth grade students volunteered in record numbers this year to participate in the Ohio Stock Market Challenge, and one team of four -- Jacob Cohen, Ryuta Fujita, Tim Holman, and Israel Moorer -- took second place out of more than 800 Ohio teams taking part in the grade 4-8 division. The Ohio Stock Market Challenge, offered through Ashland University, is designed to teach students how financial markets work. Independent stock broker, Joe Brooks, coached the students by sharing his knowledge of market investment, financial media,and online research web sites. He encouraged students to think about what they do each day and the companies that serve their needs. He explained the difference in investing for this contest versus long-term growth over time. With his guidance, students created a hypothetical portfolio initially valued at $100,000 and managed it for 10 weeks with the option to buy, sell, short sell, and short cover while paying brokers` fees and margin-account interest. The transactions, which are made via computer, are processed by Stock/Trak Group, Global Portfolio Simulations. Our award-winning team increased the value of their portfolio to $135,176.74 during the ten weeks of competition. The four team members will receive a cash prize to share and lunch at California Pizza Kitchen in recognition of their outstanding effort and \"bullish\" achievement. Special thank-you`s go to Mr. Brooks as well as Mrs. Pam Richmann, a Hawken middle school math teacher who advised and coordinated team practices in her classroom.