Leasure Elementary Fifth Grader Wins
State Investwrite Essay Contest

Shirin Faqiri, a 5th grade student at Leasure Elementary School, is the winner of the InvestWrite Essay Competition for the State of Delaware.  InvestWrite is open to students involved with their school’s Stock Market Game. The Stock Market Game is a school-based activity where students start with a virtual cash account of $100,000, and strive to create the best-performing stock portfolio using a live trading simulation. They work together in teams, practicing leadership, organization, negotiation, and cooperation as they compete to be the top investor.  

For the essay contest, students were asked to write on a hot topic in investing.  Students at Leasure Elementary School voluntarily do this assignment in addition to playing the Stock Market Game.  Essays are submitted online and expert judges from around the country pick the best ones.  Faqiri’s essay was picked out of all the elementary, middle and high school essays that were submitted statewide.  Faqiri and her family were invited to attend an awards reception at the University of Delaware to honor her and the team division winners in the Stock Market Game.   It is quite an honor to be chosen, as there are thousands of essays submitted. 

Faqiri read her winning essay to a room full of adults and students. Dr. Jim O'Neil, Director of the Center for Economic Education and Entrepreneurship at the University of Delaware, stated that even he learned some things from Faqiri’s essay.  She wrote about investing in stocks and bonds and how bonds are a safer investment.  She also wrote about General Electric (GE) as a company that returned a decent dividend. 

Faqiri received a trophy and a certificate for her efforts. Her enrichment teacher, Timothy Werbrich, remarked how impressive her essay was and congratulated her on how well she had represented herself and Leasure Elementary School.