Capital Hills Challenge virtual awards ceremony that was held June 9 Screenshot

A team of five Philip Sugg Middle School students in Lisbon recently placed fifth in the nationwide Capitol Hill Challenge stock market game.

The stock market game is an online simulation of the global capital markets and engages students in grades 4-12 in the world of economics, investing and personal finance with the goal of preparing them for financially independent futures. Played as a teams of three-to-five members, students develop and enhance skills in leadership, management, research, problem solving and team-building.

The team of gifted and talented math seventh-graders Jared Francis, Liam Khul, Brandon Marks, Isaac Scribellito and Jacob Schreiber managed a hypothetical $100,000 portfolio during a three month period by investing in stocks, bonds and mutual funds.

According to Natasha Proctor, gifted and talented coordinator of the Lisbon School District, the students started playing the game once they got to the middle school last year.

“Other than using the lessons about stocks, bonds, and mutual funds provided by the SIFMA foundation as part of their educational support material, there was no formal training given to the students” said Proctor. “Once they learned how to use the program to invest, I incorporated stocks into our regular math lessons – applying things like percent increase and decrease to their own portfolio and pointing out how current global events can affect the market.”

Proctor added: “I am so proud of what these students have accomplished this year. I saw immense personal and academic growth in students during the game. I am not sure which I am more please with — the ‘win’ or the growth.”

The students will receive a plaque and each student will be awarded a prize box from Charles Schwab and a $500 gift card from SIFMA to invest, save or spend as their parents deem appropriate, proctor said.

More than 600,000 students in grades three through 12 take part in SMG every school year across all 50 states. The SMG has served 16 million students since its inception in 1977.