Take stock in the market
BUTLER TWP — Seven elementary, middle and high school teachers spent Wednesday morning training to play The Stock Market Game of Pennsylvania.
When the teachers return to schools such as Chicora Elementary or Seneca Valley Senior High from training at Butler County Community College, they will teach their students how to invest a hypothetical $100,000 in the stock market. It is one of the annual programs EcomonicsPennsylvania provides.
NexTier Bank has donated $100,000 to fund workshops, seminars and activities at the EcomonicsPennsylvania Center at BC3. In recognition of the grant, the center was renamed the NexTier Bank Center for Economic Education at the college at a ceremony on Wednesday afternoon.
EconomicsPennsylvania, formed in 1978, is a network of 14 centers in the state. It provides curriculum consultation, teacher training and works with school districts to educate students about economics.
The Butler center works with all districts in Butler County as well as districts in Mercer, Armstrong and northern Allegheny counties.
Because of the grant, fees for activities such as Wednesday's stock market training will be waived. That will help the center reach more students, said Dave Huseman, the Butler center director.
Each year, about 500 students participate in the stock market simulation, which lasts 10 weeks. Huseman said he expects the number of students to increase.
NexTier's donation also has allowed the center to hire a field consultant, said Anita Kane, vice president of EconomicsPennsylvania, which is based at Temple University in Philadelphia.
"This is a significant contribution," she said.
Carol Occhuizzo, field assistant, said the programs provided by the center give students a "fun and exciting" way to understand the American economy.
The program focuses on teaching how the economy works and how to invest and budget.
"We teach a better understanding of money management, investing and budgeting," Kane said.
Teaching those skills to the youth is important, she said.
