Business Academy students in the Accounting 2 class at High School South have been participating in the Knowledge@Wharton High School (KWHS) Investment Competition. The competition runs for 10 weeks and South students are currently in 31st place out of 453 teams across the United States.
The worldwide competition is offered to high school students and teachers through the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. The competition is meant to further a student’s understanding about the world of finance, teamwork, strategy-building, communication and entrepreneurship, all principles at the focus of the Business Academy.
Teams in the competition are challenged to manage portfolios of $100,000 in virtual cash using Wharton’s Online Trading and Investment Simulator (OTIS). They are provided resources and an approved stock list from KWHS in order to make solid investment decisions.
According to KWHS, “winners are selected on the strength, creativity, and articulation of their strategies, not on the growth of their portfolios.” Mr. Ronald Zenker, the students’ teacher at HSS, chose the KWHS competition for exactly this reason. He liked the idea that students are judged more on their creativity and application of ideas rather than how the portfolios actually perform.
Top teams from each region will be invited to present their strategies during a final event in Philadelphia on May 4-5, 2018.