Students took third nationally, won state division of foundation’s fifth annual contest
Representatives from PNC Bank, N.A. and the SIFMA Foundation honored students from Fontana Elementary School April 22 for their efforts in the 2015 PNC Christmas Price Index SIFMA Foundation Stock Market Game Challenge.
The Challenge is an online simulation of the global capital markets that engages students, grades 4-12, in the world of economics, investing and personal finance, and prepares them for financially independent futures.
Fontana Elementary School Teacher Barbara Karabas and her students were honored by PNC and SIFMA Foundation representatives for earning third place in the National Middle School division and winning the local Wisconsin Middle School division.
This is the first year there have been separate middle school and high school competitions in the PNC Christmas Price Index SIFMA Foundation Stock Market Game Challenge.
“I found the Stock Market Game and uncovered a gold mine of lessons, handouts and everything I needed to create a fun and engaging learning environment for our students,” Karabas said.
“And it’s memorable for them. All of my eighth grade students from last year commented in their yearbooks that the Stock Market Game was their favorite memory.”
The popular annual PNC Christmas Price Index is a whimsical economic indicator based on the prices of gifts in the holiday classic “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” Students competing in the challenge research each of the gifts mentioned in the song, looking at source data, such as the price of gold for the golden rings or macro-economic indicators such as historical trends of inflation.
They calculate the estimated percent change from 2014 prices and compose a short essay describing their research and supporting their findings. Students then eagerly await PNC’s release of the final price data, in the hopes their research produced the best estimates.
The PNC Christmas Price Index SIFMA Foundation Stock Market Game Challenge asks students to apply what they’ve learned through participation in the SIFMA Foundation’s Stock Market Game program to predict the rate of inflation and estimate the current cost of the 12 gifts.
In addition to their estimates, students must also explain the process they used to arrive at their predictions in a short essay.
A study conducted by American Institutes for Research found students who participated in the SIFMA Foundation’s Stock Market Game program scored higher on math achievement tests than their non-participating peers. Students in the SIFMA Foundation’s Stock Market Game program are provided with the tools they need to build positive financial habits for their futures.
Together, PNC Wealth Management and the SIFMA Foundation provide teachers with an engaging and effective way to discuss the impact of inflation on the market and the economy. The PNC Christmas Price Index SIFMA Foundation Stock Market Game Challenge included students from four states: Florida, Michigan, New Jersey and Wisconsin. 2016 marks the fifth anniversary of the challenge.
“Congratulations to all of the participating students, teachers and schools for their efforts on the PNC Christmas Price Index SIFMA Foundation Stock Market Game Challenge,” Chris Goller, PNC regional president for Wisconsin, said.
“This fun, interactive approach helps students better understand the basics of finance and the impact of inflation. It also empowers them to become more informed and educated consumers.”
