In early November, Junior Achievement-Rocky Mountain hosted JA Stock Market Challenge competitions in Metro Denver and in Northern Colorado. These hands-on, high-tech simulations introduce high school students to the fundamentals of stocks, the impact of world events on the stock market, and long-term investing.

Teams worked to grow their initial $500,000 investment into the largest net worth mock stock portfolio, with every 60 seconds in real life equating to one full day of trading. As the days went on, the competitions heated up, with students closely watching their spot on the leaderboard as the market was fluctuating day by day, using the press releases and hot tips they were given every few days to assist in their strategy. Volunteers played the role of traders, scanning the floor to make sure they were available when a team was ready to buy or sell stocks.

“This is a fun, real-life experience for the students,” said a JA Stock Market Challenge volunteer. “I wish I had this in high school!”

After a couple of hard-fought battles, Denver Academy of Torah (top left) and Niwot High School (top right) took home the first-place trophies in the Metro Denver competitions! Meanwhile, in Northern Colorado, teams from Rocky Mountain High School (bottom) in Fort Collins put on a dominating performance, sweeping the podium in both the morning and afternoon sessions.

Following the simulation, many students feel more confident in their ability to invest wisely and learn about taking risks. “I can now understand the stock market so that when I’m older and have enough to invest, I will be able to with enough knowledge,” said a JA Stock Market Challenge participant.

Students were able to participate in the JA Stock Market Challenge at no cost thanks to proceeds from the corporate versions of the JA Stock Market Challenge. Additional support was provided by our student event sponsors, thank you to Pepsi, RSM, and SM Energy!