HJHS student is state's top stock picker

By Staff
Leada DeVaney, Hartselle Enquirer
Wall Street whizzes have had a hard time predicting stock performance in the last year. Perhaps they should ask Hartselle Junior High School student Laci Southerland for some advice.
Southerland, a seventh grader, recently won first place honors in the Alabama Stock Market game. The game, sponsored by the Alabama Council on Economic Education, gives students an imaginary $100,000 to invest in the stock market.
Students can compete solo or in teams up to four people.
Southerland's performance netted her top honors from more than 2,000 participants across the state.
Her method? Simple, really.
"I didn't buy any stocks over $30," she said.
Her plan worked. Southerland earned an imaginary $34,000 from her investments.
She beat the Standard and Poors Register – the index used for judging stock performance – by more than 20 percent.
For her work, Southerland, the daughter of Tim and Tina Southerland, earned $100 and a t-shirts. She was also honored with a plaque at Monday night's School Board meeting.
Southerland was not alone in earning honors in the contest. Out of the top 13 teams in the state, 12 were from Hartselle Junior High School.