On April 15, 2019, W!SE 100 Best Awards Ceremony recognized Mrs. Monica Van Arsdale in New York City for placing in the top 50 schools in the country for teaching financial literacy. With this award, Mrs. Van Arsdale had the opportunity to tour the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Mrs. Van Arsdale added that this experience has been “[her] dream and [she is] excited to use this experience in [her] classroom for years to come.”

Mrs. Van Arsdale shared that her first reaction to Midlo receiving this award as “not surprising at all, to be honest,”  adding, “Midlothian has great students and is very deserving.” This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience to those who aren’t lucky enough to work at the New York Stock Exchange, and Mrs. Van Arsdale kept that in mind throughout her whole trip. “Being able to tour the NYSE is not something many people get to do, so I was excited for the opportunity and took full advantage of being able to speak with the employees. I loved being able to conduct my own primary research, rather than just taking other people’s word for it.”

Mrs. Van Arsdale arrived in the big city Sunday evening, and bright and early Monday morning, she hopped on the subway and made her way down to the Stock Exchange. The day-long event started with a breakfast in the main dining hall, where she spoke with teachers from throughout the country. The NYSE held a ceremony, during which speakers from VOYA, fellow teachers, and even students spoke about their W!SE experiences before the award presentation began. “They treated us with an amazing lunch after the ceremony, where I got to, again, speak with fellow teachers from all over the country, reaffirming that what we are doing here at Midlothian is good practice.”

After Mrs. Van Arsdale toured the NYSE, she had extra time to explore the city sightseeing, so she visited places such as the Statue of Liberty and the National Archives Museum. Furthermore, Mrs. Van Arsdale would like to thank Ms. Cheryl Reynolds and Ms. Deborah Roberts in the front office for taking care of her class coverage and the administration for allowing her to go. It was an experience she will not soon forget.