Friday, March 28, 2025
Hewlett High School is bringing Wall Street to the classroom with the Stock Market Club.
Junior Jacob Yamen secured the state champion spot in the Stock Market Game by closing out the competition with $220,466.72 in earnings.
The Stock Market Game is an educational contest where students are given a virtual portfolio and tasked with making investments in real-world stocks, bonds and mutual funds.
Their goal is to grow the portfolio over a set period while using knowledge of the market, economic trends and strategic thinking.
Last year when Yamen joined the club, he didn’t monitor the game as closely as he did this year and ultimately decided he wanted to take it more seriously.
“My plan is to major in business management and that’s why right now my goal is to do as many business centric things that I can while in high school,” Yamen said.
His favorite part about being a member of the club is being able to discuss trades with his friends during the school day.
“It’s almost like friendly competition between your friends as well,” he added.
Jared Pittelli oversees the 34-member club and helps them register for the fall and spring competitions, distribute the accounts and make sure all the students are signed up and able to trade.
“In addition, when we have students who are interested, I like to encourage them to give a small presentation about their view of the stock market and what approaches they like to use,” Pittelli wrote in an email. “We did this a lot with our last three time champion, Josh Sepe, who graduated last year.”
Pittelli also brings up current events that he feels could play a role in the market and allows for discussion and debates led by the students.
“I try not tell them ‘pick this, or pick that’ it’s really supposed to be an experience where they are ultimately responsible for their choices, “ he wrote. “It’s the best way to learn how the market works without risking real money. The club continues to grow in popularity and I am really enjoying seeing all their enthusiasm.”
Yamen beat out over 4,000 teams in all of New York state and the next closest competitor closed out at $186,687.48.
“This accomplishment by Jacob is quite impressive, everyone starts out with $100,000 and invests it as they see fit,” Pittelli wrote. “He secured our fourth competition win in a row with his earnings.”
He also discusses an overview of what is going on in the world.
“Some days the kids come and are locked in on their research and reading, and Jacob made a few smart moves that worked out,” he wrote. “I think he has a bright future ahead.”
Yamen did not start out with the “most precise strategy” and originally invested in five stocks. After not seeing much growth, he started to take the game more seriously and completely changed his mindset.
“You’re told to diversify your portfolio and you have to see the game through this outlook, because you want to make the most amount of money in the least amount of time possible,” he explained. “I sold most of my stocks early on and them focused most of my funds into two different companies and that’s pretty much how I won. I used a couple of different sites, looked at market trends and I was targeting my funds.”
“It’s a fantastic way to learn about investing, financial literacy and the complexities of the global economy, all while having fun,” Hewlett High School posted on Facebook. “Way to go, Jacob we’re so proud of you!”
