By Staff
Virginia Meachum, economics teacher at Coral Springs High School in Broward County, Fla., was named the 2003 Distinguished Stock Market Advisor.
She was honored at the 24th annual Governor's Awards for Excellence in Teaching Economics ceremony at Walt Disney's World's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa on May 16.
Less than 50 outstanding Florida teachers were honored for their creative approaches to teaching economics and financial literacy skills before 300 educators, school administrators and business leaders from around the state.
Her parents, of Paw Paw, flew to Orlando for the ceremony. Her mother, Patsy, is a retired Dowagiac teacher. Her father is a retired area veterinarian. All three are former Dewey Lake residents.
Virginia is a graduate of Hartford High School, Michigan State University and received her master's degree in computer technology from the University of Southern Florida.
She formerly taught in Dowagiac and in Cassopolis.
The award recognizes educators who creatively implement the Florida Stock Market Simulation (SMS) into their curriculum and improve the economic and financial literacy of their students.
For more than seven years, Meachum has used SMS as a motivating teaching tool to educate students on the benefits of being an informed consumer.
Strong emphasis on the use of technology and online research has been fundamental to her program.
Students spend a great deal of time searching for and analyzing online data from a variety of financial and business resources.
Students are required to support their investment selections by writing essays and giving presentations about their chosen stocks.
The Sun Sentinel Newspaper in Education department sponsors Meachum's class and had an opportunity to observe the class in action.
Lynn Baden, Sun Sentinel educational services manager, said, "It was clear that the students had gained far more than a cursory understanding of the economics of the market. They could explain liquidity and PE ratios, market caps and long-term debt with ease and confidence. It became evident that Ms. Meachum's students walk away from her class with in-depth, hands-on, relevant information that they can use throughout their lives."
Meachum's prize package included $750 cash, $750 in HSN "Spendable Kash," an Apple iBook, a Hewlett Packard digital camera, a crystal apple and a bronze bull and bear sculpture contributed by John and Susan Sykes.