U.S. Rep. Sean Casten makes virtual visit to Hannah Beardsley Middle School class in Crystal Lake

U.S. Rep. Sean Casten, D-Downers Grove, made a virtual visit to a class at Hannah Beardsley Middle School, part of Crystal Lake Elementary School District 47, earlier this month.

Casten made the visit via Zoom to teacher Trevor Mack’s “Opportunities to Achieve Success In School” class at Beardsley as part of the class’ participation in the SIFMA Foundation’s Capitol Hill Challenge, according to a news release.

The SIFMA Foundation’s Capitol Hill Challenge is a national financial education competition for public middle and high schools, according to their website. Mack’s class was one of 535 chosen by SIFMA to participate in the Capitol Hill Challenge this year.

Mack’s class participated in SIFMA’s Stock Market Game, where students managed a hypothetical $100,000 online portfolio of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, investments and cash.

Students learned about financial education, fiscal policymaking and capital markets during the Zoom visit and asked Casten questions.

Casten represents Illinois’ 6th Congressional District, which includes parts of Cook, DuPage, Lake, Kane and McHenry counties.

”We really appreciated having Rep. Casten join us,” Mack said. “The Stock Market Challenge has always been a fun and engaging activity for my students, but having a member of Congress talk to the class made it very exciting this year.”

Seventh grader Zach Ingliss said talking to Casten made him feel like he was doing something important.

“I was really surprised that someone from Congress would talk with us,” sixth grader Elijah Garcia agreed. “It was really cool.”