CBA Students Hit the Floor at the NYSE

Canterbury School puts a lot of stock in experiential learning, and that was especially true when students took a field trip to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on Tuesday.

Accompanied by History Teacher and Faculty Advisor Ted Smith, members of the Canterbury Business Association (CBA) hopped an early morning train to New York City to get a real-world taste of what it’s like to work the floor of the NYSE. There, they met with Christopher Conto P ’24, Managing Director and Wealth Management Advisor for Merrill Lynch in Southbury, Connecticut. Chris, who is the father of CBA member Andrew Conto ’24, introduced them to a Merrill Lynch representative who executes trades on the floor. That was one of the many valuable interactions our students had with financial professionals.

“A number of Floor Brokers and Specialists talked with them,” Ted recalled. “These experts have been doing this for a long time and were happy to share their experiences. We were split into groups of four and toured the building, where we saw journalist David Faber and other CNBC luminaries and passed the spot where Jim Cramer (host of CNBC’s Mad Money) does his show from the floor.” 

The firsthand look at the trading action was absolutely fascinating for our CBA students. “The most memorable moment of the day for me was when one of our tour guides had to place and sell orders right in the middle of our tour because he was still technically working,” said Grayson Mengold ’26. “He took the time to show us what it looked like and walked us through the process. It was a unique experience that gave me great insight into the daily life of someone on the stock market floor.” 

When they were not immersed in the energy of the NYSE, students had some free time to enjoy the sights of the Big Apple during the holiday season, including a visit to the famed Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. But make no mistake—for the majority of the day, these Saints were all business.