A group of students and staff recently were given the opportunity to visit the New York Stock Exchange on Wall street. This visit was through the partnership with the non-profit organization, Pencil, which introduces New York City students to business leaders and professional opportunities.
According to our school’s AP Mr Velez, PENCIL, a long-time partner organization, invited students to ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange to celebrate the 30th year anniversary of service. PENCIL reached out to partnered schools, inviting students and staff to take part in this event. This allowed students to witness a major moment which is the opening of the stock market for the day.
Throughout the visit, students and staff learned more about PENCIL’s goal of supporting New York students. Learning about the history of the New York Stock Exchange as well as the amount of money being traded daily is also another highlight of this trip. Seeing everything in real time helped students and staff to better understand the New York Stock Exchange.
Leadership’s Social Studies teacher Mr Losey, who also chaperoned the trip, shared that this visit was provided by PENCIL, which had extra slots available for students to attend. While there, participants learned why ringing the bell is important as it’s an official way of opening the stock market. Students and staff had the opportunity to observe people training and experience what the environment is like. Mr Losey described the visit as very interesting and cool.
10th grader Ayden B. explained the purpose of ringing the bell of the day is to signal that the stock market is open for business. Ayden also learned about the history of the stock market, including how brokers created a trading system after the country was hit with a financial collapse, soon resulting in the creation of the stock exchange that strengthened the economy.
Overall, the visit to the New York Stock Exchange was an educational experience which allowed students and staff to learn more about the history of finance and the impact of organizations like PENCIL.
