- December 20, 2024
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Ben Kopach competed individually in the community problem solving component and won first place and grandmaster. Photo courtesy of Flagler Schools
Ben and Wesley Kopach have competed in the Future Problem Solvers together for three years. Photo courtesy of Amy Kopach, Future Problem Solvers coach and board member
The 39 Flagler Schools Future Problem Solvers students at the international competition's closing ceremony. Photo courtesy of Amy Kopach, Future Problem Solvers coach and board member
Flagler Palm Coast High School's problem solvers group competitors: Ella Oshri, Hailey Tucker, Jake Blumengarten, Jack Mikutel, Liam Lafferty. Photo courtesy of Amy Kopach, Future Problem Solvers coach and board member
The 39 Flagler students who competed in the Future Problem Solvers' international competition. Photo courtesy of Flagler Schools
Holden Carleton, an eighth grader at Indian Trails Middle School, was Flagler's first scenario performance competitor. Photo courtesy of Amy Kopach, Future Problem Solvers coach and board member
Indian Trails Middle School's Project MESS: Tony Pacilli, Ryan Castro, Sean Barnes, Mason Gamble, Tristan Norman, and William Wells. Photo courtesy of Flagler Schools
Indian Trails Middle School's Project Tuned In team: Wesley Kopach, Kendall Willis, Garrett Tucker, Paris Milton, Alex Berenblit, Isaiah Jack, Ellah Cherry and Kashvi Sagar. Photo courtesy of Flagler Schools
Liam Lafferty competed in the scenario writing component. Photo courtesy of Amy Kopach, Future Problem Solvers coach and board member
Matanzas High School's Project SCREAM: Ava Muldoon, Lily Lisowski, Megan Rhee, Olivia Chochev and Lorraine Wilson. Photo courtesy of Flagler Schools
Matanzas High School's Project SCREAM group at the competition's memento exchange: Lily Lisowski, Lorraine Wilson, Ava Muldoon, Megan Rhee. Photo courtesy of Amy Kopach, Future Problem Solvers coach and board member
Rymfire Elementary School's Project Helpers won grand master of their division: Katelyn Castello, Aaliyah Auriemma, Eli Christlieb, Roman Lopkovich, Cameron Short, Lilliana Raad and Anabella Glasco. Photo courtesy of Flagler Schools
Thirty-nine Flagler County students competed at the Future Problem Solvers international competition for the 2022-2023 school year.
The competition took place in Amherst, Massachusetts, from June 7–11.
Four local projects won awards in their divisions, and two of those won grand champion or best overall in their division: a project by Matanzas High School's Ben Kopach, who competed in the senior division of Community Problem Solving as an individual; and a project by Rymfire Elementary School's Project Helpers team, competing in the junior division of Community Problem Solving.
Kopach's project collated local available jobs and connected them with high school students looking for work. Kopach also arranged time after school for kids to practice for interviews and learn how to apply to jobs.
This was Kopach's eighth year in Future Problem Solvers and his fourth consecutive year winning grand champion.
Future Problem Solvers has also invited him back next year as a student evaluator.
"I was just [doing FPS] to help out the community," Kopach said. "So being an evaluator continues that, and I can still help out the community while helping these other kids who want to accomplish what I can accomplish."
Amy Kopach, a Flagler Future Problem Solvers board member and a coach at Indian Trails Middle School, said the Rymfire Elementary team's project focused on helping the school's teachers by freeing up their time so they can focus on teaching.
"The problem they found that was going on at their school was that teachers are just so overwhelmed and so busy with all this extra stuff that teachers have to do," she said.
Indian Trails Middle School teacher and coach Beth Blumengarten said it was especially rewarding watching the students figure out their own solutions to the problems. The middle school's Project MESS placed third in its division.
"I am a hands-off type of coach," Blumengarten said. "The part I take away as a coach is to see them, see where they can fall apart, but put it back together and help others at the same time."
Flagler Schools also had its first student compete in the scenario performance component competition. Then-seventh grader Holden Carleton won grand champion at the state level and made it into the top six in his division at international — a division that includes seventh through ninth grades, Blumengarten said.
"I think that's pretty incredible, to place into finals," Blumengarten said. "And he has such a good attitude about it."
The teams and students who competed are as follows:
Global Issue Writing Team: Jake Blumengarten, Hailey Tucker, Jack Mikutel, and Ella Oshri
Scenario Writing Individual: Liam Lafferty
Community Problem Solving, Team (Project SCREAM): Ava Muldoon, Lily Lisowski, Megan Rhee, Olivia Chochev, and Lorraine Wilson
Community Problem Solving, Individual (Project Help Wanted): Ben Kopach
MAGIC GIPS Writer: Amy Leonardi
Community Problem Solving, Team (Project MESS): Tony Pacilli, Ryan Castro, Sean Barnes, Mason Gamble, Tristan Norman, and William Wells
Community Problem Solving, Team (Project Tuned In): Wesley Kopach, Kendall Willis, Garrett Tucker, Paris Milton, Alex Berenblit, Isaiah Jack, Ellah Cherry, and Kashvi Sagar
Scenario Performance, Individual: Holden Carleton
MAGIC GIPS Writers: Grace Brocksmith, Sam D’Ascheberg, Karolyn Whitney, and Wyatt Davis
Community Problem Solving, Team (Project Helpers): Katelyn Castello, Aaliyah Auriemma, Eli Christlieb, Roman Lopkovich, Cameron Short, Lilliana Raad, and Anabella Glasco
MAGIC GIPS Writer: Tanner McKinney
The following students and teams received awards:
Grand Champions, Junior Division: Rymfire Elementary School's Community Problem Solving Team Helpers: Katelyn Castello, Aaliyah Auriemma, Eli Christlieb, Roman Lopkovich, Cameron Short, Lilliana Raad, and Anabella Glasco
3rd Place, Middle Division: Indian Trails Middle School's Community Problem Solving, Team MESS: Tony Pacilli, Ryan Castro, Sean Barnes, Mason Gamble, Tristan Norman, and William Wells
1st Place, Middle Division: Matanzas High School's MAGIC GIPS Writer, Amy Leonardi
Grand Champion, Senior Division: Matanzas High School's Community Problem Solving Individual Project Help Wanted, Ben Kopach.
