- March 27, 2026
Matanzas High's Community Problem Solving team of Diana Kolodiy, Mary Grace Seward, Dempsey Manhart, Willa Ames and Wesley Kopach placed first with "The Real You Project" and received an invitation to the international competition. Courtesy photo
Flagler Palm Coast's Holden Carleton took first place in Storytelling and will compete in the international competition in June. Courtesy photo
Flagler Palm Coast's Emma Gilbert placed second in Storytelling and received an invitation to the international competition. Courtesy photo
Buddy Taylor Middle School's Kensington Lascano placed first in Middle Team Multi-Affiliate Global Issues Competition with Indian Trails Middle School's Lucien Guadagno. Courtesy photo
Buddy Taylor Middle School participants. Courtesy photo
Indian Trails Middle School winners. Courtesy photo
Matanzas High School Creative Writing winners Ava Muldoon (first place for "A Circle in the Sand") and Eva Luis (second place for "Always Working") both received invitations to the international competition. Courtesy photo
Rymfire Elementary School Community Problem Solving winners. Courtesy photo
Wadsworth Elementary School participants Anya Crouch, Kevin Williams, Ezra Crouch and Mia Robertson. Courtesy photo
The Future Problem Solving Florida Affiliate Competition hosted over 450 students and 20 schools on March 23-25 in Orlando with 156 students representing Flagler Schools.
Forty-five Flagler students received invitations to the World Finals on June 10-14 at Indiana University. Eleven Flagler teams and individuals won first place in their competitions.
Four Flagler high school students won scholarships at the event. Flagler Palm Coast's Arianna Slaughter and Matanzas' Lily Lisowski won $500 scholarships. FPC's Lilian Ames and Abbie Blumengarten won $250 scholarships.
Place winners from Flagler:
GLOBAL ISSUES — TEAM
Junior Team
5th Place: Chloe Campbell, Adalyn Hurley, Jaxon Letterman, Kamden Weisstein — Indian Trails Middle School. (Coaches Beth Blumengarten, Hannah Anderson and Neil Kopach).
Senior Team
2nd Place: Lily Ames, Spencer Habek, Anabelle Machado, Abbie Blumengarten — Flagler Palm Coast High School (Coaches Danielle Moss and Anabella Fish). Invitation to International Competition
4th Place: Megan Rhee, Lily Lisowski, Ava Muldoon, Amy Leonardi — Matanzas High School (Coach Amy Kopach).
GLOBAL ISSUES — MAGIC (Multi-Affiliate Global Issues Competition)
Junior Team
6th Place: Abdo Aladra and Gabby Manley (Rymfire)
5th Place: Gabe Shuler and Derrick Hatter (Rymfire) with Olleskiy Kulchitsky (Indian Trails)
4th Place: Mariah Mullins and Noelle Castello (Rymfire)
3rd Place: Xavier Paden and Cole Delacruz (Rymfire)
2nd Place: Layla Verdote, Brayden Wisnewski, Jordyn Maffei (Rymfire)
1st Place: Ethan Verdote and Aspen Lester (Rymfire) with Riley MacDonald (Indian Trails)
Middle Team
6th Place: Kiersten Castine (Indian Trails)
5th Place: Eva Swartzlander and Eli Christlieb (Indian Trails)
4th Place: Jenna Baldwin and Tamir Robinson (Indian Trails)
3rd Place: Raquel Levy (Indian Trails) with Aisha Isgandarova (FPC)
2nd Place: Gianna DiBitetto and Sara Villacis (Indian Trails)
1st Place: Lucien Guadagno (Indian Trails) with Kensington Lascano (Buddy Taylor)
Senior Team
4th Place: Carter Ives and Jordan Sauer (Matanzas) with Bryson and Nikki Isgandarova(FPC)
3rd Place: Matt Carleton and Delaney Pearson (Mantanzas) with Aiyana Cayetano (FPC)
2nd Place: Ben Iannotti and Keegan Murray (Matanzas) with Kashvi Sagar (FPC)
1st Place: Brianna O’Malley (Matanzas) with Jaeda Weikle (FPC)
GLOBAL ISSUES — Action Plan Presentation
Senior
1st Place: Team C (Sydney Mahon, Amanda Wu, Laura Herrera, Holden Carleton) — Flagler Palm Coast (Coaches Danielle Moss and Anabella Fish)
3rd Place: Team B (Lily Ames, Spencer Habek, Abbie Blumengarten, Annabelle Machado) — Flagler Palm Coast (Coach: Danielle Moss and Anabella Fish)
4th Place: Team C — Matanzas (Wesley Kopach, Willa Ames, Eva Luis, Mary Grace Seward, Ben Iannotti, Keegan Murray, Jordan Sauer), Coach Amy Kopach.
COMMUNITY PROJECTS — INDIVIDUAL
Middle
1st Place: Stitch Space — Mia Puccio, Indian Trails Middle School (Coaches Beth Blumengarten, Hannah Anderson and Neil Kopach). Invitation to International Competition
2nd Place: Proyecto UNO — Izzy Cruz, Indian Trails Middle School (Coaches Beth Blumengarten, Hannah Anderson and Neil Kopach)
COMMUNITY PROJECTS — TEAM
Junior
1st Place: Reading to Relatives — Noelle Castello, Connelly Davis, Enzo Gitto, Gabby Manley, Mariah Mullins, Xavier Paden, Gabriel Shuler, Layla Verdote. Rymfire Elementary (Coach Caryn Taylor). Invitation to International Competition
2nd Place - Positivity Patrol — Abdo Aladra, Cole Delacruz, Cece Dorozsmay, Mira Gitto, Derrick Hatter, Aspen Lester, Jordyn Maffei, Austin May, Frank Paolucci, Ethan Verdote. Rymfire Elementary. (Coach Amber Acosta). Invitation to International Competition
3rd Place: Volunteer Engineers — Adalyn Hurley, Jaxon Letterman, Kamden Weisstein, Baedan Canfield, Dilan Glodav. Indian Trails Middle School (Coaches Beth Blumengarten, Hannah Anderson and Neil Kopach). Invitation to International Competition
Middle
1st Place: Ready Set Work! — Avery Mahon, Maria Saman, Olivia Willems, Illiana Stockman, Elevyn Thompson, Mia Kopcikova, Guiseppina Gitto. Indian Trails Middle School (Coaches Beth Blumengarten, Hannah Anderson and Neil Kopach). Invitation to International Competition
Senior
1st Place: The Real You Project — Diana Kolodiy, Dempsey Manhart, Wesley Kopach, Willa Ames, Mary Grace Seward. Matanzas High School (Coach: Amy Kopach). Invitation to International Competition
CREATIVE WRITING
Middle
5th Place: Elevyn Thompson — 'No Place Like Home'. Indian Trails Middle School (Coaches Beth Blumengarten, Hannah Anderson and Neil Kopach)
8th Place: Ameera Toolsie — 'Pushed Beyond the Skies Limits'. Indian Trails Middle School (Coaches Beth Blumengarten, Hannah Anderson and Neil Kopach)
Senior
1st Place: Ava Muldoon — 'A Circle in the Sand'. Matanzas High School (Coach Amy Kopach). Invitation to International Competition
2nd Place: Eva Luis — 'Always Working'. Matanzas High School (Coach Amy Kopach) Invitation to International Competition
STORYTELLING
Middle
1st Place: Katelyn Castello — Indian Trails Middle School. (Coaches Beth Blumengarten, Hannah Anderson andNeil Kopach. Invitation to International Competition
3rd Place: Tamir Robinson — Indian Trails Middle School. (Coaches Beth Blumengarten, Hannah Anderson and Neil Kopach).
Senior
1st Place: Holden Carleton — Flagler Palm Coast. (Coaches Danielle Moss and Anabella Fish). Invitation to International Competition
2nd Place: Emma Gilbert — Flagler Palm Coast. (Coaches Danielle Moss and Anabella Fish). Invitation to International Competition
