Students, Treasurer Rice Ring in the New SMG Year

Three students who were winners in the Fall 2005 Stock Market Game competition helped Chicago City Treasurer Judy Rice ring in the new SMG year by ringing the closing bell at the Chicago Stock Exchange.  Nishly Lopez, Yesenia Ortiz and Crystal Uribe, currently  sixth grade students at Evergreen Academy, were students last year of teacher Mary McKay at Nathaneal Greene Elementary School.  They placed first in the elementary division of the Chicago competition.

Treasurer Rice, an ardent advocate of financial literacy education, has endorsed the SMG program as an ideal way for young people to learn good decision-making skills and essential knowledge about savings and investing.  At a press conference preceding the closing bell ceremony, Rice spoke about the importance of assuring that students receive financial literacy education starting at an early age.  She thanked the three primary sponsors of the Chicago SMG program, Cabrera Capital Markets, the Chicago Tribune News in Education program, and HSBC, for making this important program available without cost to Chicago schools.  All of these sponsors and Treasurer Rice were presented with miniature ticker tape machine “trophies” by ICEE President Joanne Dempsey as a thank you for their critical support.