SASKATCHEWAN POLYTECHNIC
Saskatchewan Polytechnic Stock Market Challenge sparks investment curiosity for high school students across the province

Saskatchewan Polytechnic's Marcus Moulding is a passionate advocate for financial education. The Business diploma program head launched a high school stock market competition last spring that bridges his work at the post-secondary level in the School of Business and Entrepreneurship with a new requirement in Saskatchewan's secondary education curriculum. Financial Literacy 10 prepares youth for success in both their personal and professional lives and can be followed by elective courses in grades 11 and 12.

"The basics are important but financial literacy covers more than just balancing a chequebook," says Moulding. "Although my teaching focus is adults, getting younger students excited about financial learning is a challenge I'm keen to take on. Some of these students may decide to explore further when they realize the possibilities education in this field can create."

Moulding's simulation-style investment challenge brought together more than 400 students from 22 high schools across the province along with one in Manitoba. Over the course of the challenge, he provided teachers with resources to support asynchronous learning, giving students the knowledge they would need to participate and compete.

"I sent the teachers a weekly newsletter about what's happening in the markets and how it relates to the economy, and suggested assignments they could use," says Moulding.

Teachers led students through modules about investment diversification, risk and types of stocks, to prepare them before they took up the challenge in teams of up to four. Each team was allotted $100k of simulation money to invest in stocks and ETFs, or exchange-traded funds, competing for top investor status.

Greg Walker, principal at participating St. Louis Public School, says the competition complemented course curriculum but also amped up student engagement. "The competition ran during talks about tariffs from the United States, so it was a good way to demonstrate fluctuations in the market," he says.

Moulding created two videos posted to YouTube as resources for the teachers to use in class. "The first was an interview with one of our Sask Polytech instructors talking about markets, careers in finance and what it's like to be on campus in the Business diploma program's finance specialization.

"A second video gave students an industry perspective. Pamela Bryden, manager of financial planning for RBC, talked about careers in finance and what it's like working with clients as a financial planner."

Participating students used a simulator called Investopedia during the eight-week virtual competition. The simulator allowed them to practice stock trading with virtual money, sharpening their knowledge of how the stock market works and gaining confidence without risking real capital.

Grade 10 student Ryder Harvey from St. Louis Public School was 2025's Stock Market Challenge winner. He achieved the biggest virtual investment portfolio to be named top investor and was awarded credit for one of four free dual credit courses offered though Sask Polytech.

Walker says his young student was excited on the last day of the competition when he realized he was topping the leader board. "He hadn't been leading until that point but had been investing strategically," says Walker. "Ultimately, he had to decide whether to cash out his investment or keep it what would be a weighty decision in real-life. It was good learning."

This fall, Moulding launched the second challenge to over 400 student competitors in 18 schools. "Teachers gave great feedback," he says. "I'd like to fit the competition timeline to the section of their curriculum that talks about financial investment and am currently fine-tuning details.

"Ultimately, I'd love for this challenge to inspire students to explore Sask Polytech as an option for post-secondary education," says Moulding. "After a comprehensive review of the Business diploma, we're modifying our Finance specialization to further align with FP Canada's curriculum. Students in our program will learn a lot about investing."

Learn more about Sask Polytech's Business diploma and the Finance specialization.