News & Updates

On Thursday, May 8th, GCEE recognized more than 200 students and teachers from all across the state who won their Congressional Districts in the 2024-2025 Stock Market Game competitions at the fabulous Fox Theatre in Atlanta. GCEE also recognized this year’s statewide winners from Woodville-Tompkins High School in Garden City, GA.

Team 531 from T.G. Scott Elementary School in Monroe County emerged as the top elementary school team in the Spring 2025 Stock Market Game. Starting with $100,000, they impressively increased their portfolio to $130,433.18 over ten weeks amidst volatile market conditions. Congratulations to Team 531 for their commendable performance and strategic thinking!

Hats off to the team of students from Lambert High School (Forsyth County) for taking home first place in the 2025 Econ Challenge (David Ricardo Division). The team will now move on to the National Semi-Finals where they will compete for a place in the National Finals that will take place in Atlanta. 

Congratulations to the team of students from Salem High School (Rockdale County) who took home 1st place in the 2025 Personal Finance Challenge Access Zone Division. The team will now move on to the National Personal Finance Challenge Finals. 

Congratulations to the amazing Melissa Carden from Scintilla Charter Academy  (Valdosta) for being recognized as one of our April 2025 Featured Teachers. 

Congratulations to the team of students from Springdale Park Elementary (Atlanta Public Schools) for taking home 1st place in the 2025 Metro Atlanta Econ Games, 4th grade division!

Congratulations to former GCEE Board Chair David Smith for being named our 2025 VanLandingham Award winner!

Congratulations to Ms. Erica Scripture of Statesboro High School (Bulloch County) for being named the GCEE Georgia Economics Teacher of the Year! Erica is in her 17th year of teaching, and credits GCEE professional development workshops and resources for helping her succeed in the classroom.

Congratulations to the team of students from Kings Chapel Elementary (Houston County) for taking home 1st place in the 2025 South Georgia Econ Games, 4th grade division!

Week 6 Stock Market Game Update! After weeks of battling for the top spot, Team 3095 from Woodville-Tompkins High School in Savannah has finally overtaken the formerly leading teacher team and is now #1 with $156,214 in equity! Can they hold onto first place? Stay tuned! 

Week 4 Stock Market Game Update! A new leader has taken the top spot—Ashley Sims from Crisp Academy, a first-time SMG teacher! Meanwhile, the top student team is now Team 3095 from Woodville-Tompkins HS in Savannah. Can they climb to #1? Stay tuned!

The competition is heating up in the Spring 2025 Stock Market Game! The current statewide leader isn’t a student—it’s John Cook, a teacher at Woodville-Tompkins High School in Savannah. But his student team, Team 3090, is close behind with an impressive $116,551 in equity. Will Cook hold onto the top spot, or will his students outtrade their teacher and claim victory next week? Stay tuned to see how this exciting battle unfolds!

GCEE is partnering with the Nebraska Council on Economic Education on a new podcast called Econ Is Life. This ten-episode podcast will explain economic concepts in clear and understandable ways. 

Congratulations to Jenny Ittner from Puckett’s Mill Elementary in Gwinnett County, the winner of the Teacher Competition in the Fall 2024 Stock Market Game!

Competing against other educators in a special division, Ms. Ittner earned the top spot with an impressive $157,742 in equity. It’s always inspiring to see teachers participating in the game alongside their students, modeling the same skills and strategies they encourage in the classroom.

Bravo to Ms. Ittner for her outstanding performance and for leading by example in this exciting educational experience!

Congrats to Keyshawn M. from Woodville-Tompkins High School in Savannah, the high school grade level winner of the Stock Market Game! Keyshawn finished the game with an incredible $186,686 in equity—wow! Yet another standout student under the guidance of SMG master teacher John Cook!

It’s the final week in the Stock Market Game a fierce battle is still raging between the students & Atlanta Hawks! Currently, the students have taken back the #1 spot with team 984 from Woodville-Tompkins High School in Savannah taking the lead with $189,344 in equity. But, with 5 days left in the competition, it could still be anyone’s game!

After the close of week 6 in Stock Market Game, team 990 from Woodville-Tompkins High in Savannah remains on top in the state competition with 154,596 in equity! But following close behind is team 3862 from Beacon Hill Middle in Decatur. With plenty of time still remaining, it could be anyone’s game!

Concluding 4 weeks in the Stock Market Game, eighth grade team 4240 from East Jackson Comprehensive is still leading the charge! Currently, they have $156,291 in equity! WOW! Great work Eagles!

GCEE Finance Committee member Greg Rollings of Waffle House helped us celebrate Econ Ed Month by speaking to teachers at a special event at Milton High School. Greg shared Waffle House history, his career path journey, and the economics of running 2,000 restaurants that stay open 24/7/365. 

After the 2nd week in the Stock Market Game team 3823 from Oconee County High School currently has the lead with over $120k in equity. Wow! Great job Warriors & their teacher Mr. Ellis!

Congratulations to Victoria Mapp-Jonathan from Greene County Primary School in Greene County for being named GCEE’s Elementary School Featured Teacher for the month of October.  #EconEdMonth

Congratulations to Matthew from Coahulla High School in Whitfield County for being named GCEE’s High School Featured Teacher for the month of October. #EconEdMonth

GCEE Executive Director Mike Raymer was recently honored with two Emmy Awards for his Co Executive Director work on the latest $martPath video series. $martPath is an engaging, interactive and easy-to-use way for elementary and middle school teachers to embed relevant and fun economic and financial education in their classrooms, to boost students’ financial literacy.

GCEE Executive Director Mike Raymer spent June 30th traveling to, and swimming in, all five of the Great Lakes to raise money for Georgia teachers. Mike’s 12-hour journey took him from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario to Lake Huron to Lake Michigan to Lake Superior. All told, the fundraising event brought in $7,850. 

GCEE was proud to partner with the Center for Economic Education on the campus of Georgia College & State University for the 2024 Minority Youth & Business Program. High school students from across Georgia spent a week in Milledgeville learning about business, finance, marketing, and entrepreneurship. 

Major kudos to the team of students from Dunwoody High School for taking 4th place in the 2024 National Personal Finance Challenge. The team, led by former Georgia Economics Teacher of the Year Laura Lampron, traveled to Cleveland, OH to compete against students from across the country.  

GCEE was honored to celebrate 80+ Stock Market Game Congressional District-winning students and teachers at the Fabulous Fox Theatre last week during its annual SMG Awards Luncheon. Teams across Georgia were honored for their successes in the Fall 23 and Spring 24 Stock Market Game competitions.

Special thanks to our friends at Delta Community Credit Union, the Finra Foundation, Georgia Securities Association, Invesco, the Primerica Foundation, and the SIFMA Foundation for supporting the Georgia Stock Market Game.

Congrats to Screven County High School in Sylvania, GA for winning the rural division of the Stock Market Game! This team of four amazing students earned $122,956 in total equity, beating out all other teams in their division! Great work!

Three cheers for the Walton High School (Cobb County) team that took home first place in the 2024 Georgia Economics Challenge competition (Adam Smith Division) held at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta on April 19th.  The team now moves on to the national semi-finals, where they will compete for an opportunity to attend the National Finals in New York City in June.

This teacher is all that! Mr. Matthew Richards of Johnson County High School won the teacher competition in the GA Stock Market Game. He beat out all the other teacher contestants, finishing the game with $113,887 in equity. Wow!

Congratulations to the brilliant Christiane Wyckoff from Sope Creek Elementary School  (Cobb County School District) for being recognized as one of our April Featured Teachers. 

Starting off the final week in the Stock Market Game, a new leader, team #2466 from Woodville-Tompkins High School, has emerged with $206,728 in equity. Will they hang onto the top spot? Anything can happen in the final week of the Stock Market Game!

After the 7th week in the Stock Market Game, team A11 from Woodville – Tompkins High School remains #1 in GA with over $186k in equity. With just a few weeks left in the game, can they hold the top spot? Or will another team best them next week?

Congratulations to the multi-talented Shanda McCray from Villa Rica High School  (Carroll County Schools) for being recognized as our March Featured Teacher. 

Hats off to the amazing team of 5th grade students from Willis Road Elementary School in Coweta County who took home 1st place in the 2024 Metro Atlanta Econ Games.

It’s week 4 in the Stock Market Game and team A11 from Woodville-Tompkins High School is back again as the #1 team in GA. These Wolverines are sitting pretty with over $167k in equity. Great work team!

It’s the second week in the Stock Market Game and a team of 5th graders from Riverview Elementary in Dawson County currently has the #1 spot in the state. This team of bright young minds has made a gain of over $42k in just 14 days! Wow! Keep up the great work eagles!

In just one week into the Stock Market Game, Team 2472 from Woodville Tompkins High School has surged to the forefront, making an impressive $20,773 profit. The team initiated the game with an initial capital of $100,000 and now boasts a total equity of $120,773; a remarkable gain in just seven days! Great job Wolverines!

Congratulations to the fabulous Angie Jacobs from Jefferson Academy  (Jefferson City School District) for being recognized as our December Featured Teacher. 

Congrats to Thomas County Middle in Thomasville, GA for winning the rural division of the Stock Market Game! This team of two amazing middle school students earned $122,456 in total equity, beating out all other teams in their division. Their prize? A $400 Amazon gift card!!! 

A new team has emerged as the leader in the Stock Market Game! Team 2519 from Camden County High School concluded week 8 of the Stock Market Game over $206k in equity! Wow!

North Oconee HS is still top dog in the Stock Market Game! After the 7th week, Team 3611 is maintaining the #1 spot with over $186k in equity! But with Woodville-Tompkins hot on their tail, can they keep the top spot?

Congratulations to the team of students from Kings Chapel Elementary (Houston County) for earning 1st place in the Fall 2023 South  Georgia Econ Games (4th grade division)!

A new leader has emerged in the Stock Market Game! After week 5, Team 2515 from Camden County High School currently holds the top spot with over $155k in equity! Go Wildcats!

After the third week in the GA Stock Market Game, a team from Woodland Elementary in Henry County now has the top spot in the state with $131,415 in equity! Awesome job Wolves!

Congratulations to Theresa Godbold from Peek’s Chapel Elementary School in Rockdale County for being named GCEE’s Elementary School Featured Teacher for the month of October.  #EconEdMonth

Congratulations to Katie Scali from Gainesville City Schools in Hall County for being named GCEE’s High School Featured Teacher for the month of October. #EconEdMonth

The GCEE team recently had the pleasure of taking a group of teachers to the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta to learn more about the Fed’s dual mandate and Money Museum for a special Econ Ed Month event. Each teacher had an opportunity to walk in the pawsteps of everyone’s favorite Econ Cats (Earl and Starla) during a tour that included a visit to the the Fed’s boardroom. 

It’s October and that could only mean one thing…it’s officially Econ Ed Month from sea to shining sea. Join us as we celebrate the teaching of econ ed to K-12 students throughout Georgia. Students with a sound understanding of basic economic principles will be prepared to make informed decisions that can lead to more prosperous lives.  

The GCEE team is thrilled to announce that Start It Up! recently won an Innovation in Education award  at the recent 55th Public Media Awards presented by the National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA)! Major kudos to our friends at GPB Education for partnering on this wonderful project.

Congratulations to the amazing Julie DuPriest from Burch Elementary School (Fayette County) for being recognized as our August Featured Teacher. Julie continually strives to engage her students through the use of active learning strategies designed to make economics come alive.

GCEE Executive Director Mike Raymer recently had the pleasure of joining the great Mary Suiter on an episode of the St. Louis Fed’s “Teach Econ” podcast. Mike and Mary shared lesson writing insights and discussed ways teachers can implement active learning lessons and strategies into their own classrooms. Listen to the podcast here: https://www.stlouisfed.org/education/teach-economics-podcast-series/how-creative-lesson-writing-starts-with-teamwork 

Congratulations to the more than 250 students and teachers who joined us at the Fox Theatre for our 2022-2023 SMG Awards Luncheon. Winning teams from each of Georgia’s 14 Congressional Districts came to celebrate their winning ways in the most recent fall and spring SMG competitions.

Congrats to Graysville Elementary from Catoosa County for winning the rural division of the Stock Market Game! This team of five amazing 5th grade students earned $115,928 in total equity, beating out all other teams in their division. Their prize? A $400 Amazon gift card!!! 

This teacher is all that! Mr. Chris Davis of Decatur High School won the teacher competition in the GA Stock Market Game. He beat out all the other teacher contestants, finishing the game with $125,192 in equity. Wow!

GCEE is thrilled to announce that team 182 from Woodville-Tompkins High School has won the state of Georgia! Student winners Jimmy & Jimena began the season with $100,000 and in just 10 short weeks, they turned that into $248,495 in equity. What an amazing accomplishment! Thanks to their teacher Mr. John Cook providing his students this opportunity to learn about investing.

Congratulations to the team of students from the Gwinnett School of Math, Science and Technology (Gwinnett County) for taking home first place in the 2023 Georgia Econ Challenge (Adam Smith Division). The team now moves on to the national semi-finals. 

It’s the final countdown in the spring Stock Market Game. Currently, team 182 from Woodville Tompkins High School has the lead with over $248k in equity. But a new competitor is on the rise from Peachtree Ridge High School. Can they catch up before the last day of the game? Or will Woodville Tompkins take home the gold?!

We have a new leader in the Stock Market Game! Team 182 from Woodville Tompkins HS has surpassed longtime leader team 160 and taken the top spot. They have made over $179K in equity! Wow! Can they keep this lead for the last 3 weeks of the game?!

There’s a battle happening for top spot in the Stock Market Game! Team 160 from Woodville Tompkins High School has the lead with $172K in equity but team 182 from Woodville Tompkins & team 2519 from Atlanta International are hot on their trail! Who will be in the lead next week?!

Congratulations to the team of students from The Lovett School for taking home 1st place in the 2023 spring metro Atlanta Econ Games 4th grade division!

Congratulations to GCEE Program Manager Angie Battle for winning a “Gold Award” at the recent National Association of Economic Educators (NAEE) conference for her “How Technology and Specialization Increase Productivity: Earl & Starla Go to the Farm” submission.

Congratulations to Austin Greene from Milton High School (Futon County) for being named a 2023 GCEE Georgia Economics Teacher of the Year! We look forward to honoring Austin at our Annual Meeting Luncheon in April.

Congratulations to Scott Swann from Warren County High School in Warren County for being named GCEE’s  Featured Teacher for the month of December. Scott continually strives to come up with new and engaging methods of teaching economics to his students.

We are THRILLED to announce the release of the first video and lesson in the latest $martPath video series. “Wheat, Bread, Fruit, or Cheese” focuses on opportunity cost, decision making, and wants and needs. Between now and May, a new video and lesson plan in the series will be released at the beginning of each month. GCEE will be hosting a special event at Georgia Public Broadcasting in February to kick off a new $martPath workshop.

A team from Woodstock High in Cherokee County remained at the top of the rankings as we concluded week seven of the fall 2022 SMG. With a portfolio total of $147,415.00, the leading team is doing well during a time of much market uncertainty. Can they hold on for three more weeks? We will know soon enough.

Congratulations to the team of students from Len Lastinger Elementary (Tift County) for taking home first place in the 5th grade division of the 2022 South Georgia Econ Games. 

A team from Woodstock High School in Cherokee County takes over the lead after week five of the fall Stock Market Game. With a portfolio total of $133,024.00, the students lead thousands of competing teams from across Georgia.

A team of students from the Alternative School at Morgan Road in Richmond County leads the pack after the third week of the fall Stock Market Game. With a portfolio total of $127,932.00, the students lead thousands of competing teams from across the state.

Congratulations to Ashley Dawson from Blake Bass Middle School in Coweta County for being named GCEE’s Middle School Featured Teacher for the month of October. aka Econ Ed Month

A team of students from Woodstock High in Cherokee County leads the pack after the second week of the fall Stock Market Game. With a portfolio total of $109,152, the students lead thousands of competing teams from across the state.

For the second consecutive year, October has been designated as “Economic Education Month” in Georgia. GCEE will be promoting the month by delivering numerous special teacher workshops, webinars, and events along with engaging competitions for teachers and students.

The month was created to bring awareness to the importance of teaching economics to students everywhere.

Congratulations to Tania Davis from Inman Elementary School (Fayette County Schools) for being selected as the September Featured Teacher. Tania regularly uses GCEE resources to make connections between the 2nd grade economics and financial literacy standards and the real world.

Congratulations to Memorie Stelter from Grovetown High School (Columbia County Schools) for being selected as the August Featured Teacher. Memorie recently attended the Georgia Council’s week-long Summer Institute at Georgia-Pacific and came away inspired to use what she learned during the workshop in her classroom.   

Everyone at GCEE is pleased to congratulate the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education for being named our 2022 VanLandingham Award winner!