Stocks is a term that can be foreign to high school students. Stocks can seem like a far away concept that is reserved for only adults. But students can learn and start to invest in stocks at a much younger age. There are jobs available with the use of stocks like stock traders, stock associates, investment associates, etc. The stocks club at Northwood aims to teach students about stocks at a younger age so that they will be prepared for the stock market when they are able to trade.
The advisor, not leader, for this club is Mr. Kevin Forster, a math teacher and boys’ soccer coach.
“The stock market club’s main purpose is to develop Northwood students’ knowledge about the stock market and give them a safe space to learn and try out investment strategies with friends before they are adults,” Forster said. “The stock market club meets during homeroom on Friday’s. This is to promote membership of students involved in other after school activities like cross country, tennis, cheerleading, football, basketball, band, soccer and much more as well as to provide opportunities to students that come to school on time and leave right at the end of the school day by car or bus. Students should learn about the stock market because it will allow them to understand more key ideas like exponential growth, risk, retirement, building wealth, and taxes.”
Stock Club is mainly student-run. Junior Taylor Zelhof is not only the club president but is also its founder.. The stock club meets every other Friday during Homeroom Plus 1 in the cafeteria. It is held during Plus 1 to get people to go to this club and not interrupt those who had sports and clubs after school.
“The goal behind this [Stock club] was that I joined DECA my freshman year, and it was a good experience… Just going after school just didn’t work out with my schedule,” said Zelhof. “It’s not really touched upon in the CTE classes because there’s entrepreneurship, marketing, computer science. Stocks aren’t really touched on… I wanted to teach kids that if you make the money work for itself, you will be more successful. Everyone has a job and if you have your money working on the side then everyone will be rich. There’s no real downside to it… I wanted to spread awareness about that.”
Stock club accepts any members regardless of grade level and there is no prerequisite to join. It is available for anyone during Plus 1.
