Going for broke

Students navigate the stock market through an online game

Some of the students in T.J. Keegan's economics class have earned quite a bit of money through the stock market in the last few weeks.

Unfortunately for these Cohoes High School students, they haven't earned actual cash, but "online money" through the Web site stockmarketgame.org.

"I thought it would be kind of boring, but now that we're doing it it's pretty exciting," said senior Siobhan Melanson, whose group at one point ranked ninth out of 324 in the Capital Region.

Students throughout the region can participate in the game through their school, making the learning opportunity a small competition as well.

Each group in Keegan's class started out with $100,000 and is free to buy any stocks they want.

Popular stocks have been Apple, Microsoft and Google, but students have researched companies or chosen others based on the company name.

Keegan brings his class to the computer lab a few times a week for them to check their portfolios, and students complete journals on their sales or stock acquisitions.

But many students say they are constantly checking in on their "assets" while they're at home and looking at figures online or in the newspaper. Some students said they are paying more attention to what new products are coming out to plan their moves in class.

"If I'm bored at home I go on the computer," said senior Nick Fredette, whose team was 76 out of 324 at one point this October.

Keegan said some students are being secretive about stocks they've purchased that are doing well, while others talk about their decisions. He says discussing what they are buying is a personal choice, as it is in real life.

"Maybe there are some future stock brokers in here," he says, laughing.