Lily Campbell         Run by Mr. Greer, the Latin Student Investment Fund (LSIF) is a group of students that invest real money donated to the school for the purpose of teaching students about the stock market. This fund was gift from a generous anonymous donor, and it has helped teach young adults the fundamentals of stock trading. To become part of the LSIF, students must take Mr. Greer’s Microeconomics class. During this class, students participate in a stock market simulation where they learn the basics of trading and managing stocks. These same students can later apply to be a part of the Latin Student Investment Fund.         When speaking about the overall organization of the group, Mr. Greer said, “The group has 21 members who will meet several times a month after school to research and pitch potential stock purchases to one another. Students are divided into teams responsible for different assets (large US companies, small US companies, international stocks, bonds). The students determined how they would organize themselves and rules they will use to make decisions about what to buy and sell.”           Although Mr. Greer does manage and run the group, his involvement is limited. He strongly believes that, “students will get the most out this learning experience if they have as much control and responsibility as possible.” This approach is what pushes the members to be as independent as possible. According to Mr. Greer, students will run meetings and conduct votes, “with limited guidance from me.” Students on the fund will work with a group of Latin parents and alumni in the financial industry to give them expert advice on their trading strategy. Because students at Latin are constantly surrounded by adults who work closely with stocks, they are given the opportunity to see how stocks directly affect their community.         When speaking to Allegra Bolandhemat about her role as LSIF manager, she said, “by being chosen to be a manager of the Latin Student Investment Fund I can put to practical use many of the concepts we learned in Mr. Greer’s Microeconmics class.” Allegra noted that much of what she learned assisted her in managing stock, and that “the process of analyzing, selecting and overseeing various components of a solid portfolio constituted a great deal of what we covered last semester.” Not only does LSIF assist the students in learning about managing stock, but also gives them a leg up in the real world. The LSIF prepares students for dealing with stocks and funds in the future, an opportunity not many high school students have. As a final note, Allegra talked about the amazing chance Latin has given her through the LSIF and that she feels “honored the school has given me and a number of other students the opportunity to manage a this large donation. We get to utilize what we have learned and the school shows it has faith and confidence in us.” The LSIF has grown throughout the year and has now become its own project week. In the project week, students who have not taken microeconomics can experience what LSIF students have experienced all year for one week. Not only does LSIF educate young adults on the basics of stock, but also the importance of stock trading in the 21st Century. ]]>