Students in Patricia Hale's middle school math classes in Mother Teresa Regional School, Atlantic Highlands, are participating in the N.J. Stock Market Game. This game gives students the chance to invest a hypothetical $100,000 in an on-line portfolio. They are learning about stock exchanges like NYSE, NASDAQ and the S&P 500 and how to make sure their stock portfolio is going in the right direction. Students look at how it works and about how the stock market can earn money, and even keep the economy healthy. They are learning how the  stock market was created and about the inner workings of the Stock  Exchange, brokerage firms, buying and selling, mutual funds, and much  more. These students are learning economic and financial concepts they'll use for the rest of their lives. As of April 3, Samantha Lombardo and Valerie LaRocca are in the lead for the middle school. Their portfolio is ranked fourth out of 238 for the state.

The students are also competing in the SMG Diversification Game. They must invest a hypothetical $100,000 in stocks, mutual funds and bonds. It is very difficult to accurately predict how any one company will perform over time, diversification is a strategy that helps the students to protect their portfolio. It is a widely used and highly successful way to reduce risk. By investing in different types of stocks, bonds, and mutual funds, the value of their entire portfolio should not be wiped out if one investment fails.  As of April 3, Jakob Trinidad has the top performing portfolio for MTRS. He is ranked ninth out of 68 teams competing.