Investing in the Future: How High School Students at The Howard School Tackle the MarketWatch Stock Challenge

As part of their government and economics class, students are moving beyond textbooks and gaining hands-on experience through MarketWatch's Virtual Stock Market Game. Each fall, as part of the Economics curriculum, The Howard School in Atlanta opens class competition for high school students in Carl Parke and Dan Gordon's Economics classes to begin playing a virtual stock market game through MarketWatch, a business and finance website.

The Howard School hosted PJ Protos, a certified financial planner with Truist Wealth. He spoke to the students about how the market works and the things to consider when buying stocks. For example, a student this year asked about investing in automotive manufacturing companies to build their portfolio. Protos' advice was to think about the overall economy and consumer confidence. 

"If everyone is feeling good and has extra money each payday, they often buy new cars with that disposable income,” said Protos. “When times are a bit tighter, they keep older cars and fix them, so NAPA would be a good choice during that economic cycle."

As students research, buy, and sell stocks, they will regularly pick a stock in their portfolio to research factors determining its current climb or dip in price and present these findings to their classmates.

"I think this activity gives them a real sense of how the market works and how events on the other side of the world can impact the price of a stock they recently bought,” said Mr. Parke. “By the end of the game, students will begin to see the interconnectedness of our global economy in a way no textbook can adequately convey. One of The Howard School's main goals is to prepare our students for college and next steps beyond our hallways, and I feel this game is a wonderful example of how we fulfill this promise."

Students will conclude this game on April 30, 2027.