ORANGE BEACH, Ala. — Need help with your portfolio?  Investments got you down? Students at Orange Beach Elementary might be able to help.

Daniel Adams and Kaylen Bowdoin, both fifth graders at Orange Beach Elementary beat out 3,000 other student teams, that included high school students, to win the Alabama Stock Market Game Grand Championship.

Since 1977, teachers all across the state have used The Stock Market Game Program to enliven core academic subjects like math, social studies and language arts. In association with the Alabama Council on Economic Education, The Stock Market Game holds two sessions during the school year, one in the fall and one in the spring.

Students begin with $100,000 of virtual money and purchase stocks and mutual funds and make any number of trades with their available funds over a 10-week period. The students compete in real time with real costs on the same computer system that operates the NYSE.

Adams and Bowdoin turned their 100 grand into $157,464. That ending balance earned the pair first place in the Southern Region, and also the Grand Championship title for the entire state of Alabama.

Amy Edwards, who teaches the gifted education class at the elementary school and who oversees the students as they participate said this was quite an accomplishment for her fifth graders.

“This game was suggested to me by another teacher in the county that teaches gifted education, and this was our third year to participate,” Edwards explained. “For these students to have the highest overall portfolio for both the spring game and the fall game for the entire state is impressive.”

Edwards said she cannot speak for what other teachers do at other schools, but she does not give the students any help when it comes to playing the game.

“I tell them to read the newspaper, we look at Google finance because they have very helpful graphics, and I give them the basic framework for what they are suppose to do. The rest is up to them,” Edwards said.

The students are allowed to come in and check their stocks each day, but Edwards only gives them one hour each week to actually log onto the The Stock Market Game Web site and work their stocks. All participants must purchase a minimum of 100 shares of a particular stock when they are playing.

Other partners with The Stock Market Game include the SIFMA Foundation for Investor Education and the Alabama Securities Dealers Association. New South Federal Savings Bank provides needs-based scholarships so every student gets a chance to play and learn, because there is a minimal charge to participate.

Last week, Steve Rapp, executive director of the ACEE and Sen. Trip Pittman awarded a $600 prize to Adams and Bowdoin. They won $100 for winning their region, and $500 for winning the Grand Championship.

“I think the game must have taught them something because both of them said they were going to use their money to open a savings account,” Edwards said. “I’m sure they will spend some of it.”

In addition to Adams and Bowdoin, sixth graders Cole McCurdy and Faith Freeman finished in fourth place in the Southern Region.