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Photo courtesy of Westwood Public Schools. Anaiya Chowdry is pictured with her family.
6-13-2024 10:22pm
Westwood 5th Grader Wins in MA, and Places 4th Nationally in Stock Market Competition
Darlene Cancell
Editor
By Darcie Fisher for Westwood Public Schools
The stock market can be a challenge for even the most seasoned investors, but Westwood fifth- grader Anaiya Chowdry seems to have a knack for it. The Martha Jones Elementary School student finished first in Massachusetts and fourth in the entire country in the Fall 2023 competition cycle for the SIFMA Foundation’s National InvestWrite Essay Competition.
The essay competition is a culminating project which is part of the Stock Market Game – a financial education program that challenges students to manage a hypothetical $100,000 online portfolio of stocks, bonds, mutual funds and cash.
“The Stock Market game and InvestWrite are engaging and meaningful real-world learning experiences for my students,” said Joe Parkhurst, who teaches fifth grade at Martha Jones. “They both enhance my student's financial literacy and promote critical skills such as teamwork, communication, and decision-making skills. Above all, my students absolutely love playing the game. Every year students come into fifth grade asking me when we will start the Stock Market Game. There is a lot of buzz about the game and InvestWrite in the school.”
Photo courtesy of Westwood Public Schools. (From L to R) Westwood Public Schools Superintendent Timothy Piwowar, Martha Jones School Teacher Joe Parkhurst, state competition winner Anaiya Chowdry, Martha Jones Instructional Technology Coach Mark Goguen, and Martha Jones School Principal Matt Kuklentz.Chowdry says this was her first exposure to the stock market.
“When I was first introduced to the stock market, I had no clue how it worked,” said Chowdry. “But as I started learning more, understanding the concept and getting into it, I started to enjoy investing. I liked the idea of diversifying my investments in a variety of companies, which helped me get nearly a 70 percent return in a few months. I also loved participating in the InvestWrite essay competition because it combined two of my favorite things: investing and writing.” Chowdry titled her winning essay “Sailing to Success.”
“I was inspired to write my essay because my whole family is spread around the world and I wanted to fund a family reunion,” said Chowdry. “I chose this goal because I started thinking, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to bring everyone together, somewhere tropical where we could all be together?’ As I started writing, I felt inspired and confident that I could actually teach someone new to investing how to make a solid investment plan.”
“We are incredibly proud of Anaiya,” said her parents Aamina and Mamoon Chowdry. “She developed an interest in the stock market, going from not knowing about it to being so enthusiastic to know more. It’s all down to her dedication and the incredible support from her teachers, who guided her along the way.”
One of those teachers commended Chowdry for the effort and enthusiasm she put into this project.
“She gave up recess time and worked at home to draft, revise and edit until she was satisfied with her finished product,” said Mark Goguen, an Instructional Technology Coach at Martha Jones. “We are thrilled that Anaiya, Martha Jones and the Westwood Public Schools are sharing in this success.”
Thanks to Darcie Fisher and Westwood Public Schools for contributing this news to Westwood Minute.
Updated 6/15/2024 at 7:17 p.m.
