By Emily Durkin
Published May 12, 2025

Stocks surged, headlines broke, and 90 high school students raced to outsmart the market. With every tick of the clock, profits were made or lost, and every decision had the capability to push a team ahead or send their portfolio crashing. On Wednesday, April 16, students from all across District 214 gathered at Forest View Educational Center for the inaugural Finance and Investing competition. They made fast, strategic investments in stock market simulations to compete for the title of top trader.

The all-day event featured two one-hour long stock market simulations. Using specially developed software, students were placed in a simulated stock market scenario from a past year and had to make investment decisions while reacting to real-time updates, headlines, and analyst reports based on that simulation. Unplanned events, such as international war or a global pandemic, were introduced. Students then applied their knowledge from this school year to predict how these events would impact the market and make decisions to maximize profit.

The competition was created this year alongside the new Finance and Investing class at District 214. This course was added to meet the growing interest and importance of the finance and investing field, and it quickly became popular among students. Heidi Fritz, a junior at John Hersey High School, shares the significance behind having this course and competition. “I think that it’s really important that I can gain this knowledge and get ahead of all the other people who aren’t as aware of what’s going on, and I think that will definitely set up my future for more success,” she said.

Along with the two simulations, students attended a panel discussion where they heard first-hand testimonies from several experts in the finance industry. The investors shared stories of how they started in business and offered  advice on pursuing this career in college. After listening to the panel, Mansur Raupov, a Buffalo Grove High School sophomore, stated, “This just shows how investing in finance is a great thing for anyone. It doesn’t matter what background or education you have. You just have to be very into it.”

The panelists also judged portfolio defenses from each team. In a situation mirroring real-world business meetings, the teams went into a room with three of the panelists and explained the reasoning behind their investment decisions in the simulation. Then, each team would receive a score based on their defense, which accounted for 50% of their overall score. The remaining 50% of their score was divided evenly between the two simulations.

Unlike a multiple-choice exam, the simulations and defenses held no single correct answers. It challenged students to think like analysts rather than test-takers. “In a time when financial literacy is more important than ever, this competition offers a glimpse into the future of education, where students are not just learning concepts from a textbook, but applying them in dynamic, unpredictable scenarios,” explained Michael Drenth, a teacher in the Career and Technical Education Department from Rolling Meadows High School. This full-day event not only showcased the impressive application of investment skills from District 214 students, but also highlighted how critical it is for these students to gain real world knowledge and advice from professionals in the field. 

As more students show interest in pursuing the finance and investing industry, it is important to provide them with these opportunities. By challenging students to adapt quickly, think critically, and carefully articulate their decision-making, the District 214 Finance and Investment Competition gave students a glimpse into a future career in finance. The event left students engaged and eager, better prepared for their futures.