Dec. 18, 2013: On Tuesday, November 19, the Bronxville High School senior class visited Wall Street. The class was split into smaller groups that visited different places.

My group went to the Museum of Finance, where we learned about the difference between counterfeit and real money. Some of the differences are subtle, while others are more obvious. It might be helpful to know that the feel and look of currency paper are both accurate measures of authenticity. Currency that is real will have actual fibers that are a part of the paper. The fibers are red and blue, and they are very small. Counterfeit money also appears to have these red and blue fibers; however, upon closer inspection they are not fibers at all--they are printed marks.

Serial numbers also indicate if money is counterfeit. The numbers and the treasury seal should be the same color. In a counterfeit bill, the color of the numbers might not be the same as the color of the treasury seal, and the numbers might not be evenly spaced. The borders of a real Federal Reserve note should not be blurry but instead should look crisp and clear.

Senior Thomas Marchetti's group visited Bank of America. He said that he learned that banks create money by making loans. "When you deposit money, your money goes into a big pool of money with everyone else's and your account is credited with the amount of your deposit. In the event of bank failure, your money is protected as long as the bank is insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation," he said.

Some students visited the Greenhill Company. They had an informational session that taught students about investment banking. Senior Frankie Gallo said, "Investment banking helps companies and governments issue securities, manage financial assets, trade securities, and provide financial advice."

The Museum of Finance was not a popular choice because it was not an interactive experience; instead, it was a "lesson given by a tour guide," said Kailey Winston. But she did enjoy the food in Grand Central after the tour. "We arrived at Grand Central and I got a shake and burger from Shake Shack. Oddly enough, I never had a shake from Shake Shack, and it was very delicious," said Kailey.

Good news for the students: they got to enjoy a nice lunch at various food stands in Grand Central to end the day.

Photo by Andrew Dantes, who works on Wall Street