Community Corner

Whiz Kid: Rennie Svirnovskiy

Rennie Svirnovskiy of Crestview Middle School has a flair for writing so great that she was a shoo-in for this week's Whiz Kid –– oh, and a nationally competitive essay contest.

Name: Rennie Svirnovskiy

Grade: 8th

School: , Ballwin, MO

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Whiz Kid Accomplishment:
As a student in Dr. Robin Lady’s Academic Stretch class, Svirnovski took part in the nationwide Investwrite Essay Contest, which encourages students to do a written analysis of stock exchange trends and other financial issues. Prior to writing her essay, however, Svirnovski and her classmates participated in the Stock Market Game™, which simulated stock investments through the use of a fictitious $100,000 portfolio.

“I am so proud of Rennie for her accomplishment,” Lady said of Svirnovski’s selection out of 3,500 essays, taking her to the top of the judges’ lists at the state and national levels. “She is an amazing writer and student.”

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Svirnovski wrote that the project allowed for a combination of creativity and critical thinking that made for a fun and enlightening experience.

“It’s like looking out the window during a thunderstorm: safer, but still exciting,” she wrote.

Following her award, Svirnovski will travel to the Stock Market Game banquet on April 19, and get to travel to New York with Dr. Lady and her family for the chance to see Wall Street trading up-close.

“First-rate essays from around the country were submitted for this contest," said Mark Gravenstein, Program Director for the Missouri Council on Economic Education, said on the district website. "The fact that Rennie placed first in the U.S. demonstrates that she has a clear understanding for her financial and professional future, well above most eighth grade students.”


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