By Jeff McKinney
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Kendra Overbeck, with Huntington Bank, works with Washington Park Elementary School fifth-grader Aeriez Greene, 10. (Glenn Hartong photo) | ZOOM |

Chanting "up, up, up," and jumping out of chairs after watching their shares soar in value in a stock-market game, fifth-graders at Washington Park Elementary School got a taste of Wall Street on Wednesday.

The students at the Over-the-Rhine school showed such elation after learning how to make money from stocks and the difference between bull and bear markets.

They were part of more than 5,000 youngsters in 20 cities in Ohio who participated in Accounting For Kids Day, a national effort to help children learn about the basic financial concepts that impact their lives. In Ohio, the event was sponsored by the Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants.

The fourth annual event, which paired about 275 business and finance professionals with more than 850 Cincinnati Public Schools children in grades four though eight, helped students learn financial literacy in a fun and interactive way.

Aeriez Greene, 10, a student in Sheila Southall's fifth-grade class at Washington Park, learned about the pros and cons of stocks after teaming with 11-year-old classmate Marshall Anderson in a simulated stock market game.

MORE INFO

About Accounting For Kids Day in Cincinnati What: Annual event to help students learn financial literacy concepts in a fun and interactive way. It's also set up to inspire business professionals to become a mentor or tutor. Main sponsor: The local chapter of the Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants and Huntington Bank. The event was coordinated by Cooney, Faulkner & Stevens. For more details: Contact Crystal Faulkner at 768-6796 or e-mail at cfaulkner@cfscpa.com

Stuart Crickmer, a certified public accountant and chief executive at Ominology, a Cincinnati firm that makes financial simulation games to teach economic principals and how to better invest, presented the game. It included a board game whereby students invested in five stocks over a 10-year period and even got dividends, with paper money, of course.

Apparently a fast learner, Greene now knows the difference between a high-risk and low-risk stock, adding she prefers low-risk stocks, which are not as likely to lose value.

"One day I hope to buy stocks and now I'll know what to do and how to do it," Greene said.

The event also gave students a chance to meet and form mentorships with professionals, including those that work in companies ranging from financial services to computer technology.

Joe Wilmer, a social worker at Washington Park, said students were excited about learning about making investments and saving money.

And their role models were professionals who manage investments for a living.

"Because we don't teach those things every day, it gives them a real world application that they can use in their lives," Wilmer said.

The event also encourages participants to form ties with students as mentors through the Cincinnati Youth Collaborative, something local companies are latching onto.

One of those companies is Huntington Bank, one of Greater Cincinnati's seven largest banks.

Because of Huntington's involvement with Accounting For Kids in Cincinnati, the bank last year began partnering with Rothenberg Preparatory School in Over-the-Rhine to tutor and mentor students on such things as financial education and other activities.

"Huntington associates see it as a great way to spend time and interact with students who would not normally be exposed to financial literacy," said Kendra Overbeck, regional marketing manager at Huntington in Cincinnati.

E-mail jmckinney@enquirer.com