Nicolet Team Places Second in the FED Challenge

A team of five students from competed in the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago’s Midwest Fed Challenge Competition placing second overall. The Fed Challenge was developed to encourage greater awareness among students of how the U.S. economy functions and the role of the Federal Reserve in the economy. Each team is required to analyze current economic data, develop a monetary policy recommendation and defend that recommendation in front of a panel of judges. The team prepares a 25-minute demonstration, which includes a 15-minute presentation on the economy and a 10-minute period where students answer questions from the judges.

Nicolet triumphed over the teams from University School of Milwaukee and Brookfield Academy at the state level and went on to compete against the top teams from Michigan, Illinois and Indiana placing a close second to the team from St. Joseph’s High School in South Bend, Indiana. The competition was so close the Federal Reserve Bank announced the second place team, something normally not done.

Members of the Nicolet team are Rachel Wilkinson, Nancy Gao, Alexis Block, Katie McShane and Beni Pazar.  Their advisor is Nicolet social studies teacher Sue Bolly.