A ninth-grade student Lakota Peoples has won the school’s virtual stock market game, a competition held as part of a recent history unit on the Great Depression. Lakota’s impressive success is particularly noteworthy given the real-world market’s recent volatility following the bombing of Iran.

The virtual stock market game challenged students to manage a simulated portfolio and apply lessons learned from history, specifically the economic principles and market failures of the 1920s and 1930s. The unit aimed to provide students with a practical understanding of market dynamics, risk, and investment strategy.

Lakota finished the competition with the largest profit, successfully navigating a period of real-time market fluctuations that mirrored the instability discussed in the classroom.

“The goal of this unit was to show students that historical events, like the Great Depression, have long-lasting lessons about economic risk and resilience,” said Travis Curtis, history teacher at Rolla High School. “For Lakota to not only grasp these complex concepts but also to execute a winning strategy during a period when the actual market has been volatile since the bombing of Iran is an exceptional achievement.”

Legend’s Bank of Rolla is recognizing Lakota’s accomplishment by awarding him with a 75 dollar prize.