Young teams of investors weathered rough week in Blade's School Stock Contest

2/24/2009

The top of The Blade s 2009 School Stock Contest looks like a battle on the high seas: Three schools, each with two teams in their armada, are locked in an epic fight for victory, but Pirates have appeared on the horizon looking to steal the bounty.

Overall in the contest, all but one team lost ground last week. The only gainer was Pirates from the Maritime Academy of Toledo. The team was up 2 percent, at $41,834, seventh place.

This is the best we ve done in two years in the contest. The kids will be ecstatic, said Maritime Academy teacher Josh Sandwisch.

There are 101 teams from 26 schools competing in this year s 14-week contest, involving 1,150 students. The teams had to submit in advance a portfolio of four U.S. stocks, with each stock worth at least $5 a share, with a fictitious $40,000 divided evenly among the choices. The contest began Jan. 23 and ends May 1.

At the midway point, March 13, teams may change any or all of their stocks.

The team whose portfolio value has grown the most by the close of trading on May 1 wins $250 for the school and $250 for the team. Second place receives $250 for the school, and third place gets $100 for the school.

Two teams of eighth graders from St. Joan of Arc School are in first and third place this week: oishii with a portfolio value of $44,127 and Cod with a value of $42,817. This week is oishii s second straight atop the contest; Cod climbed from seventh place the previous week.

Oishii s leading portfolio which is up more than 10 percent despite dropping 2.5 percent last week is made up of Google Inc., FirstEnergy Corp., Visa Inc., and Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc.

The two are battling it out with a pair of eighth-grade teams from Sylvania Franciscan Academy: STA is in second place for the second straight week, with a value of $43,079. The Kelter team climbed seven spaces to claim fourth place with a value of $42,439.

Meanwhile, a third school, Luckey Elementary, has two teams of its own in the top 10: Wlfpal$ is in sixth place with a value of $42,075 and $Bull$ in eighth at $41,527. Both teams are made up of fifth graders.

Fifth Third Bank is tabulating the results and is a contest co-sponsor. The Blade s Newspaper in Education program also is a co-sponsor.

Contact Larry P. Vellequette at: lvellequette@theblade.com or 419-724-6091.