Edmond Memorial High School DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) took the prize in a regional competition called “The Stock Market Game.” The game allows students to invest in companies of their choice after detailed research earlier this month. First and foremost, they learned the rules of the stock market and how it works. Then, a team of students worked together to research companies and lastly, decide what to “invest” in, while the stock market is working in real time. Because this is a game and not the real deal, the students are given a budget of virtual, fake money and the freedom to invest that money in any company. 

“We chose Tesla because we saw that a company called Hurts bought huge amounts of Tesla stock, which showed the faith they have in the company and Tesla had been doing really well,” Senior Vincent Nguyen said. “Ford had just released a new truck so before they released that we figured we should invest. We invested in Apple before they released the iPhone 13 and figured they would do well with that.”

For DECA teacher Tammy Graves, this game is crucial to observe the importance of the stock market and investing money properly. Not only is it a fun way for students to work together, but also a way for students to think critically and efficiently in the real world with real investing. 

“My job is to explain how the stock market works and show them how to look for current information that may affect business decisions. Then they can analyze the information and make stock buying and selling decisions,” Graves said. “I want my students to have knowledge and understanding of the business world. This includes business market products and how they can make and use money to achieve the lifestyles they desire.”

After investing their money into these various companies, the stock market went to work in real time to show the students what would happen if they were to actually invest real money. This DECA team, which included seniors Victoria Rowe, Vincent Nguyen, Emily Romero and Jaden Scamehorn spent weeks putting in the work to research, invest and watch. That hard work paid off when they won in their region. 

“This game taught me that you never know what could happen because we were not expecting to win,” Rowe said. “We just took a leap of faith and let our money sit overtime, and it proved that it is worth putting your effort into something.”

Along with their win, the team was invited to a banquet to celebrate their success and present a presentation of their process to a handful of judges and other teams. 

“The sponsor of the game, The Oklahoma Council on Economic Education, will host a luncheon in April at the Federal Reserve in Oklahoma City,” Graves said. “All first place teams from the four regions are invited to come and make a presentation about their investment strategies and the companies they invested in.”

This is a great honor for Memorial DECA to be represented at a regional event with bright students discussing their strategies and critical thinking. 

Contact Avery Hamlin at [email protected]