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Students learn the risks and rewards of Wall Street
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Matt Hiss of Hiss Sherman Wealth Management, joined by Lacy Wolters of GBHS, present Visa gift cards to the top three winners of the Hiss Sherman Investment Challenge. Pictured left to right, Maddix Pokorski, second place; Connor DeLong, first place; and Keyven Schroeder, third place.

Three Great Bend High School students are one step closer to Wall Street after coming out on top of the Hiss Sherman Investment Challenge.  

Utilizing a software called “How the Market Works,” over 180 participating students started the month of February with $100,000 virtual cash to invest according to what they have been learning in class and their own discretion. The online trading platform provides research tools, investment content, and real-time trading to simulate participation in the stock market. 

At the end of the month-long simulation, the top three winners were Connor DeLong, first; Maddix Pokorski, second; and Keyven Schroeder, third. Sponsored by Hiss Sherman Wealth Management, these students received Visa gift cards to acknowledge their accomplishments in growing their portfolios. 

“In just four years we’ve grown the simulation from 40 participants to over 180,” said Lacy Wolters, GBHS career/ACT coordinator. “We had strong participation from every grade level and it was exciting to hear teachers in other subject areas observe the interest and enthusiasm of students in the investment challenge.”

“The investment challenge is a great opportunity for our students to apply what they are learning in the classroom to a realistic simulation,” said Wolters. “Students experience the movement of the market in real-time, both positive and negative, during the course of the month-long competition.”

“It’s our hope to give students a good, real-life foundation in the world of investments and financial planning,” said Matt Hiss, investment advisor representative with Hiss-Sherman Wealth Management. “We receive great feedback from this program as participation continues to nearly double each year. Their excitement tells us we are offering a program that students both learn from and enjoy.  We are happy to partner with the school and give students this experience.”

Hiss Sherman Wealth Management also opened a staff version of the competition, which awarded cash prizes to the top three USD 428 staff traders in the virtual simulation. There were 49 staff participants this year, including the winners, Dorothy Leidig, first place; Natalie DeForest, second place; and Monte Doll, third place. 

For more information on the Great Bend High School Personal Finance and Investing class or the “How the Market Works” simulation, contact Lacy Wolters by calling the high school, 620-793-1521.