Five teams of Mars Area Centennial School students in the school’s Stock Market Club are ranked among the Top 10 in the Middle School Division of the 2018 SIFMA Foundation Erie/Western Pennsylvania Stock Market Game Fall Session.

The team of fifth-graders Peter Wells, Ava Anderson and Jaxon Hittle are in first place. With an initial investment of a virtual $100,000, the team has earned a $3,277.14 in net equity gain, a 9.31 percent return above the Standards & Poor’s (S&P) 500 Index Growth.

The team of fifth-graders Santiago Beltran, Connor Summit and Sarah Arnold holds second place ($1,500.26 in net equity gain; a 7.53 percent return); sixth-graders Victoria Symchak, Luke Hagen and Nick Butler, fourth place ($1,272.97; 7.3 percent); fifth-graders Riley Carrel, Jack Weaver and Nico Salvini, ninth place ($738.18; 6.77 percent); and the team of fifth-graders Lenny Splane, Hailey Incorvati and Connor Long, 10th place ($629.48; 6.66 percent).

This year’s Stock Market Club has approximately 60 members in both fifth and sixth grade, says Brittnee Madigan, club co-sponsor. Last year’s club was only available to fifth-graders and, with this year’s addition of sixth grade, the club is now in a much more challenging division, she adds.

Club members participate in The Stock Market Game, an online simulation of the global capital markets that engages students in the world of economics, investing and personal finance. As part of the game, students are asked to invest a virtual $100,000 in stocks, bonds and mutual funds; then, to monitor and adjust their investment portfolios, as needed.

The goal of the program was to prepare the students for financially independent futures through real-world practice. For more information, visit www.smgww.org.