BUCKFIELD – Eighth-grader Jessica Cooper was honored Wednesday for her winning essay on a stock market game.

The Buckfield Junior-Senior High School student won first place in the state for her writing about the 15-week stock market competition.

Students start with $100,000 in a virtual portfolio and buy and sell assets while researching on the Internet. According to Cooper’s teacher, Annette Caldwell, the essay was the final test for the game.

In writing the essay, students had to distinguish between three asset classes, stocks, bonds and mutual funds, choose two and explain why they were chosen.

They must tell what techniques and resources were used while handling their portfolio.

The award was presented by Elizabeth Reidel, a representative of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Foundation for Investor Education.

Reidel presented Cooper with a $100 Visa gift card and a trophy was presented to the school with Cooper’s name engraved. Cooper will also attend a banquet at the end of the year in Portland.

This is the second year that a student from Caldwell’s class has been chosen.

Caldwell submitted 15 essays in the contest from her three classes. There were 290 essays submitted from middle schools in Maine.

Reidel also honored a team that placed third in the state. They were Cassidy Bedard, Courtney Brown and Kady Taylor. All 15 students who participated were given certificates.

Reidel presented Caldwell with a certificate to Barnes & Noble worth $50.