First in the State
Burr and Burton junior Will Addington won first place in Vermont for both the spring 2020 Stock Market Game and the InvestWrite essay competition. The Stock Market Game enables students to learn investment concepts and apply them to the stock market without any risk; the InvestWrite essay asks students to apply investment concepts and strategy through the critical lens of a goal or a set of goals. Like many students, Will found himself with more downtime than usual this spring, and these competitions served as a fun intellectual challenge.
We caught up with Will in advisory this week to learn more.
Q: How did you hear about the Stock Market Game and InvestWrite essay competition?
A: I played it once in middle school and didn’t do very well, but when I heard about it again--I think at Assembly--I thought it might be cool to give it another try. This spring I played the Stock Market Game; since the markets were so volatile with COVID-19, I thought it might be interesting to play the game. I learned the basic concepts, and I talked with my dad a little about strategy--and I ended up doing really well.
Q: What was your essay about?
A: The prompt was to choose a stock, bond, and mutual fund that could positively impact your community. Because of COVID, I chose a company that would be developing a vaccine, thinking that quick development would lessen the impact of COVID on the communities of Dorset and Manchester. We didn’t know then how things would end up [this summer]--I picked a steady company that has been around for a long time so it had a better chance in the volatile market.
Q: How do you think the investment concepts you’ve learned will help in the future?
A: I’ve thought about a career in finance, but even if not, there are so many investing concepts that can help over time. Things like compound interest, which can help smaller investments add up to so much more than if that money was just in a bank account. I think it’s important for more people to know about stocks--the knowledge can benefit anyone.
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Burr and Burton Academy
57 Seminary Avenue
PO Box 498
Manchester, VT 05254
Phone: 802.362.1775, Fax: 802.362.0574
