Three 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 sixth-graders Nicholas Butler, Luke Hagen, and Victoria Symchak are in third place. With an initial investment of a virtual $100,000, the team has earned a $1,206.22 in net equity gain, a 1.21 percent return above the Standards & Poor’s (S&P) 500 Index Growth.

The team of fifth-graders Jaxon Hittle and Peter Wells holds fifth place ($589.99 in net equity gain; a 0.59 percent return); and the team of sixth-graders Patrick Miko and Evan Palmiero is in seventh place ($169.36 in net equity gain; a 0.17 percent return).

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, call (724) 625-2601 or visit www.smgww.org.