NLR HIGH SCHOOL WINS NATIONAL FINANCIAL EDUCATION PROGRAM
TO BE RECOGNIZED AT US CAPITOL IN WASHINGTON, DC
June 1, 2023
LITTLE ROCK – Five students from North Little Rock High School finished first in the 2023 Capitol Hill Challenge, a component of The Stock Market Game™. Economics Arkansas, along with state-wide and local supporters of the program, honored the winning team at North Little Rock High School on May 31 during a special assembly.
SIFMA and the SIFMA Foundation recently announced the winning teams and congratulated the 6,500 students competing in the 2023 challenge, a national financial education program underwritten by the Charles Schwab Foundation. The ten-top performing CHC teams are invited to a reception in the U.S. Capitol on June 14 and will have the opportunity to meet with their members of Congress.
2023 Capitol Hill Challenge – Top 10 Schools:
1. North Little Rock High School, AR-2, Rep. French Hill
2. Cleveland Hill High School, NY-26, Rep. Brian Higgins
3. Carlynton Junior Senior High School, PA-17, Rep. Chris Deluzio
4. Horton Middle School, NC-9, Rep. Richard Hudson
5. Orville H. Platt High School, CT-5, Rep. Jahana Hayes
6. Rappahannock High School, VA-1, Rep. Robert Wittman
7. Porum High School, OK, Senator Markwayne Mullin
8. Collins-Maxwell Elementary/Middle School, IA, Senator Joni Ernst
9. Rainbow Lake Middle School, SC-5, Rep. Ralph Norman
10. Oakcrest High School, NJ-2, Rep. Jefferson Van Drew
During the Capitol Hill Challenge, middle and high school students representing public schools in every U.S. congressional district were matched with their Member of Congress. Teams learned the fundamentals of capital markets and investing, then put theory into practice by managing diversified portfolios of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and cash. They improved their knowledge of math, economics and personal finance.
While Arkansas has produced top ten teams in the CHC in the past, this is the first time an Arkansas team has placed first. The winning team members, advised by economics teacher Michael Huels, are Zatoria Bell, America Camps, Ethan Carr, Sarah Roden, and Noah Strother. The team was matched with U.S. Congressman French Hill.
Economics Arkansas has facilitated The Stock Market Game™ in Arkansas since 1999. Thanks to a public-private partnership between the Arkansas Securities Department and the Walton Family Foundation beginning in 2021-22, all Arkansas students in grades 4-12 have the opportunity to play the investment simulation at no cost.
“I want congratulate all the students and schools that participated in this year’s Capitol Hill Challenge,” said Kenneth E. Bentsen, Jr., SIFMA president and CEO. “Our industry is committed to helping young people learn the importance of saving and investing, while also providing them a solid foundation to achieve their future financial goals. Along with the SIFMA Foundation, SIFMA is proud to partner with the Charles Schwab Foundation and we commend all Members of Congress who visited their local schools virtually and in-person to engage with students on financial education.”
The 14-week competition reaches public middle and high school students in every congressional district and teaches them the importance of saving and investing, while promoting a better understanding of civics and fiscal policy. Teams manage a hypothetical $100,000 online portfolio of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ESG investments, and cash, gaining a deeper understanding of personal finance and economics through a standards-based curriculum that teaches them the value of the capital markets.
About Economics Arkansas
Economics Arkansas is a private, nonprofit, non-partisan educational organization founded in 1962 by Dr. Arch Ford and led by Dr. Bessie B. Moore to promote economic literacy in Arkansas. Its mission is to equip PreK-12 schools with standards-based resources and professional development to teach economics, personal finance, and the free-enterprise system using practical, innovative, and inspiring methods so that Arkansas students may master an understanding of economics and personal finance and apply that knowledge for success in the free-enterprise system.
Economics Arkansas | P.O. Box 3447, Little Rock, AR 72203 | 501-682-4230 | www.economicsarkansas.org
About the SIFMA Foundation
The SIFMA Foundation is committed to closing the opportunity gap by fostering greater knowledge of the financial markets for young people of all backgrounds. Drawing on the support and expertise of educators and the financial industry, the Foundation provides financial education to strengthen economic opportunity across communities and increase awareness of the benefits of the global marketplace. Since 1977, the Foundation’s most notable program, The Stock Market Game™, has guided more than 22 million students on their path to financial independence by attaining stronger life skills, improving academic achievement, and boosting their social-emotional learning. For more information on the SIFMA Foundation, visit www.sifma.org/foundation.
About SIFMA
SIFMA is the leading trade association for broker-dealers, investment banks, and asset managers operating in the U.S. and global capital markets. On behalf of our industry’s nearly 1 million employees, we advocate on legislation, regulation, and business policy, affecting retail and institutional investors, equity and fixed income markets and related products and services. We serve as an industry coordinating body to promote fair and orderly markets, informed regulatory compliance, and efficient market operations and resiliency. We also provide a forum for industry policy and professional development. SIFMA, with offices in New York and Washington, D.C., is the U.S. regional member of the Global Financial Markets Association (GFMA). For more information, visit www.sifma.org.
About Charles Schwab Foundation
Charles Schwab Foundation is an independent nonprofit public benefit corporation, funded by The Charles Schwab Corporation and classified by the IRS as a charity under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The foundation is neither a part of Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (member SIPC) nor its parent company, The Charles Schwab Corporation. Its mission is to educate, volunteer, and advocate on behalf of those in need so that everyone has the opportunity to achieve financial well-being. More information is available at www.aboutschwab.com/citizenship.
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