We are thrilled to announce the success of students from Flinn Middle School and Auburn High School in the recent Illinois Future Problem Solving Competition. It's not merely a contest but a platform for fostering critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills among students. Participants are challenged to consider broad topics and envision how to address future challenges.
Several students from both schools achieved outstanding results:
Flinn's Aysiah Curtis distinguished herself by claiming the top spot in her division through a captivating scenario performance, skillfully addressing the potential challenges of autonomous transportation. Jon Neubauer's exceptional narrative about the hazards of unregulated tourism in Antarctica secured him first place in his division. Both students spent several months researching, writing, and editing their scenarios and then digitally submitted them. Maddix Edminson and Jocelynn Ayala also attained recognition for their outstanding scenario writing. Other students who participated and recognized were: Aileen Garcia, Presley Reese, Lilly Fulkerson, Kane Powers, Adele Caiozzo, and Jajuan Harris. One of Flinn's teams took 6th place in the oral presentation category, and Coach Aubrey Barnett was honored for ten years of service in the organization.
At Auburn High School under the guidance of Liz Krampota, achievements in the competition include:
1st place in the AAT Writing competition by Jayla Yardley
2nd place in the Art competition by Jade Stone
1st place in the Presentation Action Plan Team competition by Damien Thompson, Caleb Sales, Seth Garcia, Muhammad Sulliman, and Jayla Yardley
2nd place in the Scenario Writing competition by Jayla Yardley
Rookie Team of The Year Trophy
Securing 3 international spots, earned by Jayla Yardley, Damien Thompson, and Muhammad Suliman
These remarkable achievements are a testament to the hard work, dedication, and talent of these students, as well as the guidance and support provided by their teachers.
Of particular note, three of the winning students will now advance to the international level of competition. This competition will focus on the critical issue of air quality, reflecting the pressing environmental concerns facing our planet. The students will proudly represent their schools, our district, the state of Illinois, and the United States as a whole at the international competition. It will be held from June 6 to 9 at the University of Indiana in Bloomington. Participants from 37 states and multiple countries, including Australia and New Zealand, will gather for this prestigious event. It's an incredible opportunity for our students to showcase their skills and compete against peers from around the world.
The individuals who played a significant role in bringing this Future Problem Solvers program back to our schools and nurturing it to its current success are Barnett, who initiated the program, Krampota, and Cara Wolfe. With all of their efforts, it has been expanded and flourished. Rockford Public Schools previously participated in the program in the 1980s and 1990s.