Lincoln Community High School LTEC students rank top in the nation in Capitol Hill Challenge

 

[May 22, 2024]    The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) and the SIFMA Foundation announced the winning teams and congratulated the 4,000 students competing in the 2024 Capitol Hill Challenge, a national financial education program underwritten by the Charles Schwab Foundation. SIFMA and the SIFMA Foundation will host the ten-top performing CHC teams at a reception in the U.S. Capitol on June 12. The students will also have the opportunity to meet with their members of Congress.

Middle and high school students representing public schools in every U.S. congressional district were matched with their Member of Congress. Teams learned the fundamentals of capital markets and investing, then put theory into practice by managing diversified portfolios of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and cash. They improved their knowledge of math, economics and personal finance. Dynamic market conditions made for an exciting competition as teams vied to produce the top performing investment portfolio among participating schools nationwide.

Dylan Gowin, Jack Haynes, Keegan Brown, and Kaylee Cogdill, along with their instructor, Mr. Donnie Bowman

2024 Capitol Hill Challenge – Top 10 Schools

1. Lincoln Community High School, IL-15, Rep. Mary E. Miller

2. Houston Middle School, TX-33, Rep. Mark Veasey

3. McLaurin High School, MS-3, Rep. Michael Guest

4. Florence High School, AL-4, Rep. Robert Aderholt

5. Benson Secondary/S.E.A.R.C.H., AK At-Large, Rep. Mary Peltola

6. Homer-Center Jr/Sr High School, PA-14, Rep. Guy Reschenthaler

7. Ada-Borup-West High School, MN, Senator Amy Klobuchar

8. Plainfield Central Middle School, CT-2, Rep. Joe Courtney

9. Prince David Kawananakoa Middle School, HI, Senator Mazie Hirono

10. Lake Havasu High School, AZ-9, Rep. Paul Gosar

“I want congratulate all the students and schools that participated in this year’s Capitol Hill Challenge," said Kenneth E. Bentsen, Jr., SIFMA president and CEO. “Our industry is committed to helping young people learn the importance of saving and investing, while also providing them a solid foundation to achieve their future financial goals. Along with the SIFMA Foundation, SIFMA is proud to partner with the Charles Schwab Foundation and we commend all Members of Congress who visited their local schools virtually and in-person to engage with students on financial education.”

The 14-week competition reaches public middle and high school students in every congressional district and teaches them the importance of saving and investing, while promoting a better understanding of civics and fiscal policy. Teams manage a hypothetical $100,000 online portfolio of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ESG investments, and cash, gaining a deeper understanding of personal finance and economics through a standards-based curriculum that teaches them the value of the capital markets.

Since its inception in 2004, CHC has made 8,000 matches of U.S. senators and members of Congress with schools, reaching nearly 175,000 youth. Public middle and high school students from all 50 states participated in this year’s challenge.

“Many young adults begin their financial journeys without adequate knowledge, which can have lasting implications. Programs like the Capitol Hill Challenge empower students with the skills to build wealth through investing, creating a ripple effect of financial stability for themselves, their families, and their communities,” said Lisa Hunt, director, Charles Schwab Foundation board of directors; managing director, head of International Services for Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.; and vice chair, SIFMA Foundation board of directors. “Our commitment to this program reflects Schwab’s core belief in the transformative power of financial education.”

“I congratulate all participants of the Capitol Hill Challenge and extend my gratitude to the Charles Schwab Foundation and every Member of Congress involved in this initiative,” said Melanie Mortimer, President of the SIFMA Foundation. “SIFMA Foundation’s public-private collaborations bring essential financial education to schools nationwide, ensuring that young people gain critical insights into capital markets, asset-building opportunities, and better financial life outcomes.”

The SIFMA Foundation offers the nation’s most powerful, widely used and validated in-school investor education programs, educating individuals about the global economy and the role of the financial markets in increasing prosperity and opportunity. Programming enables teachers to simulate the real world of investing, incorporate hands-on learning, and facilitate the application and practice of newly acquired knowledge. As a result, teachers extend the benefits of financial capability and an understanding of capital markets to millions of students they collectively reach. They also take a more active role in their own personal financial lives.

The Capitol Hill Challenge is just one component of the SIFMA Foundation’s Stock Market Game™, which operates in all 50 U.S. states and has reached more than 22 million students since 1977. To learn more about the program, visit https://www.stockmarketgame.
org/capitol-hill- challenge.html . 

About the SIFMA Foundation
The SIFMA Foundation is committed to closing the opportunity gap by fostering greater knowledge of the financial markets for young people of all backgrounds. Drawing on the support and expertise of educators and the financial industry, the Foundation provides financial education to strengthen economic opportunity across communities and increase awareness of the benefits of the global marketplace. Since 1977, the Foundation’s flagship program, The Stock Market Game™, has guided more than 22 million students on their path to financial independence by attaining stronger life skills, improving academic achievement, and boosting their social-emotional learning. For more information on the SIFMA Foundation, visit www.sifma.org/foundation.

About SIFMA
SIFMA is the leading trade association for broker-dealers, investment banks, and asset managers operating in the U.S. and global capital markets. On behalf of our industry’s nearly 1 million employees, we advocate on legislation, regulation, and business policy, affecting retail and institutional investors, equity and fixed income markets and related products and services. We serve as an industry coordinating body to promote fair and orderly markets, informed regulatory compliance, and efficient market operations and resiliency. We also provide a forum for industry policy and professional development. SIFMA, with offices in New York and Washington, D.C., is the U.S. regional member of the Global Financial Markets Association (GFMA). For more information, visit http://www.sifma.org.

About Charles Schwab Foundation
Charles Schwab Foundation is an independent nonprofit public benefit corporation, funded by The Charles Schwab Corporation and classified by the IRS as a charity under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The foundation is neither a part of Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (member SIPC) nor its parent company, The Charles Schwab Corporation. Its mission is to educate, volunteer, and advocate on behalf of those in need so that everyone has the opportunity to achieve financial well-being. More information is available at https://www.aboutschwab.com/citizenship.

[Text provided by Abby Curry, LCHS Dean of Students]