Students at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic School are poised to enter the exciting world of global trading and finance, thanks to a generous donation from OLL alumnus Sam Monte and his wife, Connie.

The Montes’ contribution is transforming the current media bay into a state-of-the-art Global Trading and Finance Lab, slated to welcome its first students in Fall 2020.  Students will be able to take a variety of business and finance classes in the lab, with a focus on realistic trading simulations using StockTrak software.

“In this day and age, the knowledge of how money transfers and works throughout the world is invaluable for students,” says Sam Monte. “We hope that OLL students develop a greater understanding of what their money means to them and how they are going to use it, both now and in the future.”

Features of the lab include a 12-foot LED stock ticker, which will display delayed data for U.S. stock market, sports scores and more; two 65” monitors with market reports and live-stream rankings from OLL’s personal trade simulation site; and 20 student work stations for hands-on learning.

“More than half of our students end up in a business-related field,” says James White, school principal. “The Global Trading and Finance Lab gives our students a platform to experience the international nature of business through realistic simulations, experiential learning and team collaboration.”

The Sam and Connie Global Trading and Finance Lab will be home to eight new business classes at OLL, including Financial Literacy, Introduction to Business, Global Trading, Marketing, Accounting, Finance, Economics, and Stocks and Bonds Trading. While coursework is designed for students as young as fourth grade may benefit from age-appropriate budgeting and financial literacy instruction in the lab.

“We are very grateful for the generous, continued support of Sam and Connie,” says Nadia Bucholtz, Director of Advancement for the Lake Michigan Catholic School Fund. “They recognize the incredible potential of this project to change the lives of our students, and this is another substantial piece of the powerful legacy they are building at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic School.”

Sam and Connie met at Michigan State University. The couple has sent four children and five grandchildren through OLL, and have consistently supported the schools. In the 1980s, Connie was named Laker of the Year for her exceptional contributions to OLL.