They’re number one! This Carroll Elementary team won the statewide Stock Market Game competition, beating all other teams in the elementary, junior high, and high school divisions. Team members are (l-r) Gavin Maloy, Dillon Spesard, Tyler Ortman (CEO), and Jarrad Johnson. Comet photo by Jennifer Archibald In the statewide Stock Market Game, a Carroll Elementary team made more than $26,000 in 10 weeks.

It was only a game, and the profit was not real money, but the real success of the team earned it the honor of being the overall winner out of 2,200 teams. This fifth grade team beat all other teams in the elementary, junior high, and high school divisions.

Members of the team are Tyler Ortman (CEO), Gavin Maloy, Dillon Spesard, and Jarrad Johnson.

In the elementary division, Carroll took first, second, third, and fourth places. This is the sixth year that a Carroll Elementary team has won in the elementary division.

Overall, Carroll placed first, 12th, 16th, and 26th out of 2,200 teams.

This year marks the second time that an elementary team has beaten all the high school teams. The other time was in 2003, and that winning team also was from Carroll Elementary.

Behind all Carroll’s wins is one contributing factor – fifth grade teacher Mike Hyman. Every semester he has 20 teams who play the Stock Market Game as part of his math class. He advises, coaches, and gives general philosophy, but in the end, it is the students who study and weigh the market and make the hard decisions to buy and sell.

Students play the game on the computer, but follow the real stock market. Each threeto five-member team starts out with $100,000 and has 10 weeks to play the market.

Although the market money is not real, Carroll’s winning teams earned real cash for their efforts.

In this year’s elementary division, the first-place prize is $100 for the team’s class. Second place wins $75, third place, $50, and fourth place, $25. Since Carroll won all four places, the teams will receive $250 for their math classes.

In addition, Hyman said the members of the overall winning team will each personally receive $100.

A whole new game begins next semester.

“We have never won both semesters, but that is our goal this year,” Hyman said.

Plaques and prizes will be awarded in May at a banquet at Fort Benjamin Harrison State Park on the east side of Indianapolis.

The Stock Market Game is sponsored by the Indiana Council for Economic Education.