SUBMITTED NEWS RELEASE
In an effort to provide enhanced education opportunities to local students, five community leaders and organizations have partnered to teach stock market strategies to students at Depoali Middle School. Thomas Barcia from Edward Jones, Michael Lee from United Way and the Financial Stability Partnership, Bob Poindexter a retired KFC franchise owner and Junior Achievement of Northern Nevada are working as a collective to educate middle school teacher, Ellen Townsend’s after school students about the stock market.
“We wanted to teach students basic stock market terms but also demonstrate the risks and rewards that are involved. The program we have developed will introduce students to the importance of saving and investing with a real look at how the stock market works,” said Thomas Barcia, financial advisor at Edward Jones.
At the start of the program, students will learn the basics of investing by practicing techniques from real-life case studies. Students will also form teams at the end of their initial training, at which point they will invest $1M based on their research and education. During the remainder of the school year, local financial experts will meet with the students to discuss successes, challenges and future investing. At the culmination of the program in May 2012, winning teams receive a monetary prize.
“My students are very excited to learn from these experts and we are grateful for the commitment they are making to help our students excel,” said Ellen Townsend, middle school teacher at Depoali Middle School. “It is so valuable to have these resources right in our community; these are real-life skills that students can use in their future careers.”
The stock market program is in partnership with United Way’s Financial Stability Partnership (FSP). FSP has helped develop tools and resources to supplement the stock market program and works to increase financial stability of individuals and families in the region by providing education about personal income, assets and setting attainable goals to achieving long-term financial independence.
“The curriculum is a combination of our expertise and input, Junior Achievement programming and an online stock market game. The strategies we are teaching students will diversify their skill set and provide them with new learning opportunities,” said Michael Lee from the Financial Stability Partnership, a program supported by United Way.
Every year, nearly 4,400 students in northern Nevada receive programming from Junior Achievement of Northern Nevada. It is through this education and local partnerships that students gain access to valuable learning opportunities that will shape their future.
About Junior Achievement
Junior Achievement is the world’s largest organization dedicated to educating young people about business, economics and free enterprise. Through a dedicated volunteer network, JA provides in-school and after-school programs for students in grades K-12. JA offers educational programs that focus on seven key content areas: business, citizenship, economics, entrepreneurship, ethics/character, financial literacy, and career development. Today more than 124 offices reach four million students in the United States, with more than two million students served by operations in 94 countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.ja.org and locally at www.renoja.org
