A young student team from Saint Lucia’s Choiseul Secondary School has emerged as the overall winner of the third annual Regional Schools Investment Competition, an educational initiative organized by the Eastern Caribbean Securities Exchange (ECSE) designed to introduce regional youth to foundational concepts of finance and investing. Now in its third iteration, the contest challenges participating student groups from across the Eastern Caribbean to develop data-backed investment strategies that respond to realistic market conditions, blending simulated fictional company assets with real-world economic scenarios to give participants hands-on learning experience.
At an official award ceremony held last week, the Choiseul Secondary team, competing under the name Alite Investors, was officially crowned regional champion. The six-member team includes Melanie Poyotte, Deighdra Denis, Kayleigh Zoe Flavien, Alisha Jn Baptiste, Kayann Simon and Faith Charlemagne, guided by faculty coaches Shirle Ann James and Stephanie Theophane-Charles.
In her acceptance speech delivered at the ceremony, team member Kayann Simon expressed gratitude for the transformative learning opportunity the competition provided. “The opportunity to participate in the regional school investment competition is one that I truly appreciate,” Simon said. “We gained a better understanding of how the stock market works in terms of the factors that influence share prices.” As the winning team, Alite Investors took home an array of prizes: custom backpacks filled with branded gifts from competition partners, official participation certificates, gold medals, an EC$540 investment gift voucher, and a EC$6,500 cheque awarded to their school to support future programming.
Claiming second place in the regional competition was the Boys on the Hill Investment team from Grenada Boys’ Secondary School, made up of students Ericson Howard, Chemarion Ross, Caleb Williams, Ché Toussaint, and Jaedyn Pierre, led by teacher coach Jocelyn Emmons. For many competitors, the contest served as a first introduction to core financial concepts that they say will shape their long-term personal financial decisions. “Before this competition, I never knew what stock trading was. I normally heard it on the media but now I have an understanding of what I should do with my money and how it can shape my future,” second-place team member Caleb Williams shared.
Two additional special awards were presented to outstanding teams this year. Vieux Fort Comprehensive Secondary School’s team N’Oct’urnal Invests took home the honor for most creative video submission, while St. Martin’s Secondary’s SMSS Prosperity Pioneers won recognition for the most clear, well-structured strategic investment approach.
Looking ahead, organizers have announced that the fourth edition of the competition, scheduled to launch at the end of this year, will be renamed the Trevor E. Blake Regional Schools Investment Competition, to honor Blake’s 25 years of transformative contributions to the ECSE and the broader Eastern Caribbean securities market. Blake, who retired from his post as managing director of the Exchange on December 31, 2025, leaves a legacy of expanding financial literacy and market access across the region.