Two Elyria students win state investment contest

Two Elyria High School students proved themselves to be among the best young investors of Ohio, winning the 2026 University of Cincinnati Stock Market Game. In the Stock Market Game, hundreds of teams of high schoolers from across the state invest $100,000 virtual dollars into the stock market as they see fit to create the largest return over a semester. The team which makes the most money through its investments wins the challenge. A team made up of Elyria students Ani Buzzard and Mykenzie Whalen were victorious in the challenge, defeating the 351 other competing teams in their age bracket. Buzzard, Whalen and their teacher Brett Larrick were recognized by the Elyria Board of Education on Wednesday, each receiving an award marking their achievement. Another of Larrick's teams at EHS finished second overall in the state contest, and Larrick said the rivalry between his leading classes was intense. "They were kind of going back and forth for the last few weeks, which was awesome," he said. In a seven week span, Larrick said, Buzzard and Whalen earned about $20,000 on top of their initial $100,000 investment. The rest of the field wasn't particularly close either, Larrick said, with Buzzard and Whalen beating the runner up team, also from Elyria, by about $8,000. Larrick, Buzzard and Whalen all received gift cards for their victories, and Larrick said the girls also qualified to compete in the Portfolio Challenge at UC on May 11. In that event, they will give an investment presentation to judges at the university and could qualify to receive scholarship money from UC if they win. The Board of Education also recognized another EHS teacher, Beau Brillhart, on Wednesday. Brillhart was commended for leading the high school's participation in the Lorain County Solid Waste Management District's Plastic Bag Recycling competition. During the competition, schools compete to see which can divert the most plastic bags out of the trash system and to recycling. Almost 300 pounds of plastic bags were kept out of local landfills through the 2026 contest, in which Elyria finished third with 61 pounds of bags diverted. As a reward for the top-three finish, the high school will receive a bench made entirely of recycled materials. "Thank you for your environmental stewardship and for inspiring students and the broader school community to recognize the importance of recycling and to participate at such a significant level," Amy Higgins, district communication and marketing director said Wednesday. Contact Owen MacMillan at (440) 329-7123 or omacmillan@chroniclet.com.