LAUREL — Two Laurel High School students won cash prizes after investing a hypothetical $100,000 in the Stock Market Game.
The Stock Market Game saw 420 participants this season from across Montana. Students start with $100,000 and over two months they buy, sell and trade their investment. At the end, the top five earners win cash prizes.
Benjamin Tiry, a senior at Laurel High School, placed second and earned $200. Sophomore Bridger Clavadetscher won $100 in fourth place. Both said they were going to save their winnings.
“I didn’t really know about [the stock market] until I actually took the class and learned about it,” Tiry said Thursday.
Both Tiry and Clavadetscher agree learning about the stock market by playing the game is beneficial for their futures.
“I think it’s really beneficial and you can learn a lot from it because you’re not actually losing anything if you do mess up,” Clavadetscher said.
Lisa Condon teaches business classes at the high school and said some students get very invested in the investments.
“They have an app so some kids you know they are, I hear other teachers say they’re on that app right now. Some kids get really invested looking into it," Condon said.
Condon had Tiry in her class for this round of the Stock Market Game. Matt Kimmet, who teaches career and financial education, had Clavadetscher in his class.
“At some point in their life it’s going to play into their financial success. You know, you look at retirement accounts, everything that goes into that,” Kimmet said.
Both teachers expressed gratitude for Glacier Bancorp for paying the entry fees to participate in the game.
