PHILADELPHIA — Central High School seniors Astrid Johnston, Jenn Manno and Ana Gonzales were recently named winners of Pennsylvania’s statewide High School Stock Market Competition.

Teams of students from across the state participated in this 10-week competition, where they each managed a hypothetical investment of $100,000 in stocks, bonds and mutual funds and made buying and trading decisions based on the stock market. The team with the highest portfolio value was declared the winner. Johnston, Manno and Gonzales increased their virtual portfolio from $100,000 to more than $397,000, surpassing the next highlest by almost $150,000.

In addition, J.S. Jenks Academy for the Arts and Science’s Jayden Riley finished in top ten in the state in the middle school division.

Sponsored by the Pennsylvania Council of Financial Literacy (PennCFL), this competition teaches students in grades 3 to 12 investing, economics, personal finance, and entrepreneurship skills. Students learn how to trade through lessons utilizing a cutting-edge, real-time stock game derived from Stock-Trak’s University Platform, which is used in over 80% of the top business schools in the United States.

Lincoln School’s Christ Pirgu, Autumn Gallagher and Arbiona Muzhaqi placed fifth statewide in Dream-Learn-Pitch, a competition also sponsored by PennCFL that exposes middle and high school students to the world of entrepreneurship and small business.