Whiz Kid: Crestview Middle School Student Wins National Essay Competition

Chesterfield resident Rennie Svirnovskiy speaks Russian, English and the vernacular of a stock analyst.

Rennie is the winner of a competition designed to teach students about investments and the global economy. The annual InvestWrite essay contest is part of The Stock Market Game, an investment simulation. Several students, including Rennie, participated in The Stock Market Game.

Student teams invest a hypothetical $100,000 in a live, stock-trading simulation. The teams work to create a solid portfolio, buying and selling from the New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq and the American Stock Exchange. After 10 weeks, the individual participants write an essay about the learning experience. 

“I learned a great deal about investing, especially that it is extremely unpredictable,” Rennie said. “Things that look amazing can often crash quickly.”

Rennie said she learned from The Stock Market Game and from writing about the experience, but she prefers fiction writing. She has entered and won a number of writing competitions. In 2010, she placed third in the Holocaust Museum and Learning Center’s annual Art and Writing Contest. In 2009, she received second place for an essay submitted in The Big Write Competition, sponsored by the St. Louis Writers Guild. 

“She always gives her best all the time. Rennie is an excellent, focused student, but she finds time for her friends,” said Robin Lady, an Academic Stretch teacher who uses The Stock Market Game in her classes. Academic Stretch is a program for gifted middle school students in the Rockwood School District.

In addition to writing, Rennie has played the piano for eight years. “My mom is a piano teacher, so that’s why I learned to play,” Rennie said. She also likes to play street hockey with her brothers.

Rennie has a busy summer ahead for her. As the winner of the InvestWrite Contest, Rennie and her family will visit New York, where they will tour the NYSE, the Nasdaq office, New York’s Federal Reserve Bank and its gold vault. She has a strong interest in criminal psychology and is enrolled in a summer criminal psychology program at Duke University.

Rennie said she hopes to attend Northwestern University where she will study journalism or criminal psychology. 

Rennie is the daughter of Yakov and Irina Svirnovskiy. She has an older brother and two younger brothers, who are twins.

Know a great kid who made Eagle Scout? Or did your local soccer team take the championship? They may be our next Patch Whiz Kids honoree.

Each week, Chesterfield Patch will seek suggestions from readers for individual kids, youth groups, teens, and even sports teams that wow us with their accomplishments. We want to hear about these amazing children and teens and select one each week as the Patch Whiz Kid. Submit your nomination in our comment box below or email the information to rachel.heaton@patch.com. Be sure to include all of the following information:

• Nominator's Name
• Nominator's Email
• Whiz Kid's Name
• Whiz Kid's Age
• Whiz Kid's School
• Whiz Kid's Accomplishment
• Whiz Kid's Key to Awesomeness (what made him/her successful?)

We'll contact you if your nominee is selected. For questions, email rachel.heaton@patch.com.