With the advent of the new afternoon activity “Start Your Own Business” last year, Kent is seeking to help those who are interested in business yet not sure if that is what they want to pursue for decades of their lives. This year, in addition to the afternoon activity, some great resources were made available for students planning on going into the finance industry.

The Financial Literacy Series (taught by Ms. Samantha Cross, who has worked for thirteen years in investment banking and is a board member of the Connecticut chapter of JumpStart) are classes on basic financial knowledge such as banking, budgeting, debt, credit, investing, etc.

A Bloomberg Terminal, which is worth more than $20,000 and is one of the most powerful financial research engines in the world, has been placed in the Kent Library. “People that work at the top investment banking companies such as Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch are using Bloomberg Terminals to analyze the stock market as well as the global economy,” said Mrs. Julie Saxton, the director of Entrepreneurship at Kent. “We are privileged to own one of these terminals because it is really rare for a high school to have such professional tools at its students’ fingertips.”

According to Mrs. Saxton, the terminal has three major purposes here at Kent.

Firstly, the Bloomberg Market Concepts installed on the terminal teaches students about basic finance terms, and gives quizzes on the material. After finishing all the quizzes, which takes between ten and twenty hours, the student will be “Bloomberg Certified,” a status recognized by all of the investment banks and financial institutions.

Secondly, the new elective Global Economics with Mr. Sullivan will be using the terminal to help students understand the economy.

Lastly, the Bloomberg Terminal will be an enormous help for students who participate in the annual investment competition held by Wharton School of Business, which will begin in January 4. The game gives groups of students from all over the world $100,000 to invest, and the terminal will help Kent’s players compete.

“Father Schell really wanted to give our students a taste of what real business looks like before they major in business,” said Mrs. Saxton.