For Release: Monday, May 23, 2005
Contact: SIA Corporate Communications (202) 216-2000
SIA HONORS STUDENT FROM REP. HINOJOSA'S DISTRICT
FOR 'INVESTWRITE' ESSAY
WASHINGTON, D.C., May 23, 2005 - The Securities Industry Association today congratulated Brandy Maydon, a student at LaFeria High School in LaFeria, Texas, for the outstanding essay she submitted as part of the "InvestWrite" component of SIA's Stock Market Game™ program.Under the guidance of their teacher, Suzanne Reagan, Brandy and her classmates represented Congressman Ruben Hinojosa's (D-TX) district in this year's "Capitol Hill Challenge," a special competition co-sponsored by members of Congress and SIA using the SMG program.
"Brandy's InvestWrite essay demonstrated that she has developed a real understanding of how the capital markets work," said Steve Judge, SIA senior vice president, government affairs."I'd like to congratulate Brandy, Ms. Reagan, and Rep. Hinojosa, who as co-chairman and founder of the Congressional Financial and Economic Literacy Caucus has done so much to encourage young people to learn about the value of saving and investing."
"I think Brandy may have a future on Wall Street," said Richard Hunt, SIA senior vice president, federal policy."Her essay was excellently written, well-organized, and thought-provoking.Ms. Reagan has clearly done a terrific job using the Stock Market Game and InvestWrite to teach her students about the markets."
Brandy's essay, "The Latest Craze," provides insightful analysis on how seemingly unrelated factors can impact markets.According to Brandy, the popularity of low-carbohydrate diets has significantly influenced sales and stock prices for food companies and restaurants.She also explores other developments, including a growing number of lawsuits claiming that food companies are responsible for obesity or other health problems among consumers.Some companies have taken advantage of the healthy diet trend with new menus or products, while others in the fast food and snack industries, unable to effectively adapt, have seen their bottom lines suffer.As Brandy points out, "Consumers would not like the idea of a low-carb donut."
InvestWrite, managed by the Foundation for Investor Education, a non-profit SIA affiliate, is an innovative extension of the SMG program. In the InvestWrite essays, students can apply their knowledge of math, language arts, and business to actual principles of saving and investment. Working with teachers from schools across the country, InvestWrite is another tool to raise student awareness of the importance of prudent investing.
The Stock Market Game program is the nation's first and largest educational stock-market simulation program. It is widely used in grades four through 12 to teach math, social studies, business, economics, and language skills. Each student or team of students is given a hypothetical $100,000 to "invest" over a 10-week period. The program includes grade-specific curriculum guides, lesson plans, an online simulation for classroom use, and weekly newsletters for teachers to incorporate in their lessons. Since it was introduced in 1977, more than nine-million students have participated.