The game of investing is all about the end results and Mr. Sabol, with help from the BSM Investment club and a generous donor, are making a name for themselves in the high school business world through BPA.

BSM students interested in investing recently received a generous donation, enabling them to put their knowledge into action. “Money was given to the school for business classes and investment club kids to invest, and it is at this point that we can now start using it,” said business teacher and investment club adviser Mr. John Sabol.

With the money donated, students were able to invest and use it to buy all of the new technology and assets that they needed in order to create an even more successful club. Proudly displayed in Sabol’s classroom is the new Stock Ticker, which students use to check the status of the stocks they have invested in.

The money has not only gone towards investments in classroom technology, however. “We gave about $4,000-$5,000 in scholarships to deserving students, specifically ones who have participated in business or accounting classes, and to some who have taken the classes and were in financial need,” Sabol said.

The rest of the money was focused towards building up the investment club by using it to pay for busing and fees for their new program: Business Professionals of America (BPA). This club allows students  to become competitive with their business skills and learn about how to apply them to their future. “BPA covers a lot of different areas in a lot of different fields besides business, such as economic research and computer programing. If you’re passionate about making videos, there’s a competition for that too, and much more,” Sabol said.

Before the donation, the investment club was an outlet for money-minded students about how to invest and when, but with this generous donation and bigger opportunities for participants, now they are able to put their lessons into action. With BPA, the investment club can take the information they learn, and use it to compete in national competitions, gaining even more knowledge, and transforming them into expert investors at a young age.

As a result of BPA, the original investment club will now have a bigger state organization and regional organization added to it. “We are basically rolling investment club into BPA, making it into one program; instead of just having stock market games and discussions, we are able to compete with others from different schools, and open the club to allow more people with interests in different fields to participate in the club,” Sabol said.

Starting from the bottom, but slowly working their way to the top, the investment club is beginning to make a mark at BSM as it grows into a large group of students interested in making it big in the business world.