- May 1, 2024
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Matanzas High School's Ben Kopach, winner of the Community Problem Solvers Senior Individual Division. Courtesy photo
Indian Trails Middle School's Team ACE: Lorraine Wilson, Megan Rhee, Lily Ames, Lily Lisowski, Eva Luis and Olivia Chochev. Not pictured: Sofia Fazio. Photo by Brent Woronoff
The Indian Trails Middle School HELLO team: Anna Buck, Ava Anderson, and Karolyn Whitney. Not pictured: Alexis Thompson. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Indian Trails Middle School's Team PENCILS: Annabelle Machado, Alec Riley, Liam Lafferty, April, Goebel, Abbie Blumengarten and Faye Umebese. Not pictured: Kayla Hatcher. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Rymfire Elementary School Project BEST: Ariya Brown, Stephen Wilcox, Lyla Ruddy, Paris Milton, Ellah Cherry, Siena Bailey and Julianna Russomanno Courtesy photo
The Rymfire Elementary School PE Squad: Peyton Cerasi, Breonna Gilyard, Zenae Mills, Douglas Seth, Angel Bass-Gutierrez, Kayla Hek, Bryson Manley and Noah Soto. Courtesy photo
The Rymfire Elementary School Community Problem Solvers Project DOERS: Wesley Kopach, Adam Bey, Cesar Perez, Sophia Burns, Liliana Rego, Alana Jenkins, Kennedy Moore and Farrah Learn. Courtesy photo
Rymfire Elementary School students Liliana Rego, Wesley Kopach, Bryson Manley, Douglas Seth and Kennedy Moore take part in team building at the competition's Circus Maximus. Courtesy photo
Flagler County’s Future Problem Solvers excelled once again at the state competition on March 20-23 in Orlando. Ten groups and individuals were invited to the International Competition, June 8-12 at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Many others placed at the competition.
In addition, Nicholas Blumengarten and Isabella Colindres were awarded Shelle-Proctor Memorial Scholarships.
This year, the international competitors can attend either virtually or in person. Here’s a look at the locals who earned international invites:
Isabella Colindres of Flagler Palm Coast High School finished third in the Senior Division in Scenario Writing and second in Scenario Performance. She earned International Competition invitations in both categories.
Since she was in fourth grade, Colindres has competed in every Florida Problem Solver component, said FPC media specialist Sarah Rechenwald.
Rechenwald and Palm Coast Observer operations manager Maureen Walsh are the Florida affliliate FPS directors.
Liam Lafferty of Indian Trails Middle School finished first in the Middle Division in Scenario Writing with his dystopian story about genetically modified insects.
Senior Individual
Matanzas High School’s Ben Kopach is a two-time International Grand Champion who is headed to the International Competition for the fourth year in a row, this time as an individual, where he finished first in the Senior Division. His project this year is The Full Experience, which aims to get more ESE students involved in sports and other after-school activities.
Kopach said his inspiration was watching ESE student Haley Olsen, a Matanzas ESE student, compete on the school bowling team and participate in cheer.
“Seeing the joy on her face to take part in these activities made me think that more kids could participate in clubs and sports that are not usually offered to them.”
BEN KOPACH
“Seeing the joy on her face to take part in these activities made me think that more kids could participate in clubs and sports that are not usually offered to them,” Kopach said.
He contacted ESE teachers, school coaches, club advisers and parents and helped arrange the logistics. As a result of the project, 15 to 20 ESE students at the school are now involved in activities from the culinary program to student government. Many are involved in more than more than one activity, Kopach said.
Senior Team
Flagler Palm Coast’s Project ADOPT (Animals Deserving Opportunity of Proper Treatment) won first place in the Senior Team CmPS category.
The team includes Glynnis Gong, Arabella Borges Emma Register, Emma Lindsley and Asia Kil.
The objective of the project is to increase pet adoption and awareness, working with the Flagler Humane Society.
Middle Teams
Indian Trails Middle School FPS coach Beth Blumengarten had three teams qualify. Project ACE (Academic Career Education) placed first. The team includes Olivia Chocheve, Lily Ames, Lily Lisowski, Megan Rhee, Lorraine Wilson, Eva Luis and Sofia Fazio. The project's aim is to help middle school students learn about careers through surveys and videos. They produced a video at the fire station. Other careers they offer on their poster boards, with QR codes to the videos, are dentistry, surgery, police, real estate and military.
Project PENCILS placed third. Kayla Hatcher, Liam Lafferty, Alec Riley, Annabelle Machado, Abbie Blumengarten, April Goebel and Faye Umebese created whimsical classroom materials for teachers to make lessons more engaging. Materials include giant playing cards, dice and bubbles, all of which can be used for math. Brainy baskets list ideas for lesson plans. The students said there have been 13 checkouts of the materials by ITMS teachers.
Project HELLO (Helping Everyone Leave Loneliness Out) placed second. Ava Anderson, Anna Buck, Alexis Thompson and Karolyn Whitney helped get students to break out of their shells with icebreakers and Would You Rather games on cafeteria screens and posters in hallways. Share a Smile coins are meant to be shared with someone you don’t know. “And then you make a friend,” Anderson said. The group passed out 400 coins at the competition.
Junior Teams
Rymfire Elementary School had three teams win international invites.
Project BEST (Butterfly Environmental Sustainability Team) placed first. The project aims to increase awareness of the importance of host plants to butterfly survival. The team includes Stephen Wilcox, Paris Milton, Lyla Ruddy, Ellah Cherry, Ariya Brown, Siena Bailey and Juliana Russomanno.
The PE Squad finished second. The team of Breanna Gilyard, Bryson Manley, Noah Soto, Zenae Mills, Douglas Seth, Angel Bass Gutierrez, Kayla Hek and Peyton Cerasi are focused on increasing after-school sports and physical activities in their elementary school.
The DOERS (Doing Outreach Equals Responsible Service), which finished third, focused on doing things that make people’s lives better, rather than be bystanders.The group includes Sophia Burns, Allana Jenkins, Liliana Rego, Kennedy Moore, Farrah Learn, Wesley Kopach, Adam Bey and Cesar Perez.
