May 2, 2025

Buckley Country Day School is proud to announce that two of its students, Elizabeth Rallakis ’28 and Richard Wang ’27, have been named national winners in the fall 2024 SIFMA Foundation’s InvestWrite competition, a prestigious academic challenge that bridges classroom learning with the real-world skills of saving, investing, and long-term financial planning.

Elizabeth placed 6th in the nation in the elementary school division, while Richard earned 8th place in the middle school division—an extraordinary achievement for both students. Their national rankings were announced at a recent all-school assembly, where John Martin, VP of Education for the SIFMA Foundation, presented the awards in person, commending their thoughtful analysis, writing, and financial insight.

InvestWrite®, a program of the SIFMA Foundation, challenges students participating in the Stock Market Game™ to apply their newfound knowledge in a compelling essay. Students are tasked with responding to real-world investment scenarios, evaluating companies, and making long-term financial recommendations. The competition draws thousands of entries from across the country each year and is designed to promote critical thinking, research, and financial literacy skills among young learners.

“This is a remarkable accomplishment for Elizabeth and Richard,” said Head of School Dr. Jean-Marc Juhel. “Their success reflects not only their individual hard work and creativity but also Buckley’s commitment to providing students with meaningful, real-world learning opportunities.”

Buckley’s submissions are organized by middle school humanities teacher Ms. Patricia Russac who has taught at Buckley for 25 years. Over the course of her tenure at the school, more than 40 students have taken home top prizes in both the Stock Market Game and InvestWrite competition thanks to her mentorship. “I would definitely do InvestWrite again,” said Richard, currently in 6^th grade. “I wrote about diversification, and I felt like it helped my portfolio in the Stock Market Game. It’s disappointing when your stocks go down, but it’s exciting to see them go back up.”

Click here to view all the photos from this special presentation.

Buckley Country Day School extends its heartfelt congratulations to both students and thanks the SIFMA Foundation for continuing to inspire the next generation of investors and critical thinkers.