Members of the sixth-grade class at CHSD 170's Washington-McKinley School recently visited the Chicago Board Options Exchange on a field trip arranged by staff member Keith Lee, a former CBOE employee.
The trip was designed to introduce the students to the helter-skelter environment of Downtown Chicago and the controlled chaos of the exchange's famed "Open Outcry Marketplace."
The CBOE is the most significant options exchange in the United States with an annual trading volume that totals more than one billion contracts and offers options on more than 2,200 companies, 22 stock indices, and 140 exchange-traded funds. The United States Securities and Exchange Commission regulates the exchange.
Lee worked with CBOE representatives to arrange the field trip that saw students tour the facility and learn about the transactions and activities that take place on the floor.
"Our students learned a great deal about the activities of the CBOE and a little about the laws and rules that govern the nation's stock and options exchanges and other organizations," Lee said.
"I was extremely proud of our students," he continued. "Members of the CBOE staff acknowledged our group's' well-mannered behavior and extended an open invitation for future field trips."
Sixth-grader Jose Cortes was thrilled to participate in the excursion and enthusiastic about the things he learned.
"It was a great trip, and it was very interesting learning about the exchange and the advanced technology that is used there," Cortes said.
Washington-McKinley Principal Dr. Gretchen Sutherland was excited about opportunities that the trip presented to the students.
"I am grateful to Mr. Lee and the CBOE for arranging such an informative and educational field trip," she said.
"Trips of this type that provide our students with the chance to visit businesses, organizations, and entities that are outside of their normal sphere of experience are an essential component of a well-rounded educational experience."