From February to May, over 1,500 students in fourth through 12th grades researched public companies and traded stocks as part of the Delaware Stock Market Game (SMG). Striving to build portfolios with the highest value, students tracked their progress against other competing teams within their grade-level divisions. Three teams were honored at the SMG Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, May 22, after producing returns not only higher than those in their division, but also higher than the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index (S&P 500).

SMG is a simulation developed by the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association in New York and offered in Delaware schools by the University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics’ Center for Economic Education and Entrepreneurship. The program is funded by The Investor Protection Unit of the Delaware Department of Justice with support from WSFS.

The winning team from the fourth through sixth grade division consisted of Thurgood Marshall Elementary School fifth graders Zahara Ali, Shams Al-Moosawi, Destiny Gachanja, Saesha Gupta, Druhti Kapadia and Kaylani Sinohui. The team’s investment in Five Below led to a portfolio valued at $110,942, almost 5.5% above the S&P 500.

Elizabeth Braddock, Catherine Shapiro and Grace Towler from Springer Middle School won first place in the seventh through eighth grade division with a portfolio valued at $113,507. The team made a return approximately 8% above the S&P 500 by investing in Dr. Pepper Snapple Group and Canada Goose.

In the ninth through 12th grade division, Zachary Maucher, a senior from First State Military Academy, won first place with a portfolio valued at $114,321. He exceeded S&P 500 growth by almost 9% after purchasing stock in Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated.

For further information, please visit: https://lerner.udel.edu/seeing-opportunity/students-create-impressive-portfolios-and-beat-sp-500/