At Holy Name of Mary College School, finance is no longer a mysterious boys’ club topic whispered about on Bay Street or reserved for adults in grey suits. Instead, it’s a co-curricular where confidence compounds faster than interest—and mistakes are celebrated as learning milestones. Welcome to Mr. Castator’s Finance Literacy Co-Curricular, where girls run portfolios, challenge market fear, and learn exactly what it means to own their financial futures.
Using a web-based investing simulation app, students are dropped straight into the world of the stock market—minus the terrifying risk of losing real money. The platform allows them to simulate buying and selling stocks, track performance, and build portfolios that look surprisingly similar to what many adults wish they had started earlier. It’s hands-on, fast-paced, and unapologetically empowering.
The goal isn’t just to “play stock market.” It’s to give girls a preview of investing in their future—literally. Students conduct their own research on companies and stocks, learning how to read trends, evaluate risk, and understand what makes a company more than just a logo on their phone screen. From blue-chip giants like Apple and Amazon to smaller, higher-risk, higher-reward stocks, portfolios are intentionally diversified. Because if there’s one thing these students learn early, it’s that putting all your eggs in one basket—financial or otherwise—is rarely a winning strategy.
Ask Emma.
In one unforgettable trading session, Emma watched her simulated portfolio drop by $8,000 in a single day. Gasps were heard. Lessons were learned. And instead of panic, the moment sparked analysis, discussion, and resilience. Why did it happen? What signals were missed? What would she do differently next time? In finance—as in life—failure is only fatal if you stop learning from it.
Finance Co-Curricular doesn’t promise overnight success or viral “girlboss” myths. What it does offer is something far more powerful: literacy, confidence, and agency. Students leave understanding that investing isn’t gambling—it’s strategy, patience, and informed decision-making. They learn that fear is normal, losses happen, and smart investors don’t quit at the first downturn. In the words of Emma, “If anything, I’d say trust the process!! I’m making more than that $8000 back before they know it”.
As one piece of advice echoes through every session by Mr. C: “It’s better to learn with fake money than lose your savings.”
These girls are doing exactly that—learning early, learning boldly, and learning together.
Because when girls understand money, they don’t just watch the market.
They move it.
– Ms. Lydia Minkarious (English, Faculty Advisor – School Newspaper)
