Posted on June 12, 2021 at 9:00 a.m.

They have demonstrated a keen business sense well beyond their years.

Three students from St. John Neumann Regional School recently thrived in a scholarship competition sponsored by the Mauch Chunk Trust Company.

Seventh-year Ian Walck won the colleges division, while eighth-year Delia Winas was second and Seventh-year Aidan Winas was third.

The principal of the school, Mary Comensky, explained how the students succeeded.

“They met almost every Wednesday during the competition to work together on building a portfolio,” Comensky said. “During the pandemic, they found a way, under the guidance of a parent volunteer, to meet as an extracurricular activity and continue to learn without necessarily being in school.”

Comensky applauded the students for their approach and willingness.

“It was something they were asking to do and they were ready to do it virtually in their free time after school,” she said. “It’s very exciting, pretty cool.”

The Stock Market Challenge competition is organized by the non-profit association Brighter Financial Futures (dba PennCFL).

The Pennsylvania Council on Financial Literacy makes its world-class online action simulation platform and program available to all Pennsylvania students from Kindergarten to Grade 12.

Students can learn to trade year round using the entire curriculum, courses, and more, including two 10-week competitions. The platform offers lessons, homework, and grading for seamless teacher management, with competitions held in class, by county, and statewide.

The cutting-edge real-time stock game is derived from Stock-Trak’s academic platform, which is used in over 80% of top business schools in the United States.

PennCFL’s mission is to provide K-12 students with economics, personal finance, and entrepreneurship skills that have the potential to elevate their standard of living, quality of life, and career success.

It features exceptional talents from business, education and government. The non-profit organization is passionate about teaching young people strong financial management and entrepreneurship skills.

Many families in our region are struggling to make ends meet; our goal is to break this pattern by instilling a strong sense of financial competence and responsibility in the next generation.

PennCFL’s goal is to be the leader in K-12 financial literacy and entrepreneurship education. For more information, contact Alan Dakey, President, at [email protected], or Carolyn Shirk, Vice-President, at [email protected]; call 570-975-5149; or visit them online at DreamLearnPitch.org or PennCFL.org.

Ian Walck, a seventh grade student at St. John Neumann Regional School, recently won the middle schools division of the Mauch Chunk Trust Company-sponsored Stock Challenge competition. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Students from St. John Neumann Regional School, left to right, Aidan Winas (third place) in seventh grade and Delia Winas in eighth grade (second place) performed well in the college division of the Stock Market competition Challenge sponsored by Mauch Chunk Trust Company. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO