More than 150 Flagler Schools students competed at the Future Problem Solving Florida Affiliate Competition earlier this month, and the results were exceptional. Forty-five students earned invitations to the World Finals, scheduled for June 10 through 14 at Indiana University. Four high school students also took home cash scholarships at the event.
Scholarships Awarded
Flagler Palm Coast High School’s Arianna Slaughter and Matanzas High School’s Lily Lisowski each received $500 scholarships. FPC’s Lilian Ames and Abbie Blumengarten each received $250 scholarships.
Global Issues — Team Competition
In the Global Issues Team division, the FPC Senior Team of Lily Ames, Spencer Habek, Anabelle Machado, and Abbie Blumengarten finished in 2nd place and earned an invitation to the international competition. The team was coached by Danielle Moss and Anabella Fish. The Matanzas Senior Team of Megan Rhee, Lily Lisowski, Ava Muldoon, and Amy Leonardi placed 4th, coached by Amy Kopach. At the Junior level, the Indian Trails Middle School team of Chloe Campbell, Adalyn Hurley, Jaxon Letterman, and Kamden Weisstein placed 5th, coached by Beth Blumengarten, Hannah Anderson, and Neil Kopach.
Global Issues — MAGIC Competition
The MAGIC division — Multi-Affiliate Global Issues Competition — saw sweeping success across all three levels. In the Junior division, Rymfire Elementary students claimed the top spot with Ethan Verdote and Aspen Lester joined by Indian Trails’ Riley MacDonald. Rymfire teams also placed 2nd through 5th, with Indian Trails rounding out the category. In the Middle level, Indian Trails students took 1st place with Lucien Guadagno partnered with Buddy Taylor’s Kensington Lascano, while Indian Trails teams filled four of the remaining top spots. In the Senior division, a joint effort between Matanzas and FPC students claimed 1st place with Brianna O’Malley and Jaeda Weikle, with cross-school teams placing 2nd, 3rd, and 4th as well.
Global Issues — Action Plan Presentation
In the Action Plan Presentation category, FPC’s Team C — Sydney Mahon, Amanda Wu, Laura Herrera, and Holden Carleton — took 1st place, coached by Moss and Fish. FPC’s Team B placed 3rd, and a Matanzas team coached by Amy Kopach placed 4th.
Community Projects
In the Community Projects Individual category at the Middle level, Indian Trails’ Mia Puccio earned 1st place for her project “Stitch Space” and earned an invitation to the international competition. Izzy Cruz, also of Indian Trails, placed 2nd with “Proyecto UNO.”
The Community Projects Team category produced multiple international invitations. At the Junior level, Rymfire Elementary’s “Reading to Relatives” team took 1st place and earned an international bid, followed by Rymfire’s “Positivity Patrol” in 2nd place — also earning a World Finals invitation. Indian Trails’ “Volunteer Engineers” team placed 3rd and also qualified for international competition. In the Middle Team division, Indian Trails’ “Ready Set Work!” team claimed 1st place and earned an international invitation. At the Senior level, Matanzas’ “The Real You Project” — Diana Kolodiy, Dempsey Manhart, Wesley Kopach, Willa Ames, and Mary Grace Seward — took 1st place and earned a World Finals invitation, coached by Amy Kopach.
Creative Writing
Matanzas swept the top two spots in Senior Creative Writing. Ava Muldoon placed 1st with “A Circle in the Sand” and Eva Luis placed 2nd with “Always Working” — both earning international invitations, both coached by Amy Kopach. At the Middle level, Indian Trails’ Elevyn Thompson placed 5th and Ameera Toolsie placed 8th.
Storytelling
Indian Trails’ Katelyn Castello won 1st place in Middle Storytelling and earned an international invitation, coached by Blumengarten, Anderson, and Kopach. Tamir Robinson placed 3rd. In the Senior division, FPC’s Holden Carleton took 1st place and earned a World Finals invitation, with teammate Emma Gilbert placing 2nd and also qualifying — both coached by Moss and Fish.
For more information about Flagler Schools, visit flaglerschools.com, the district’s Facebook page, or call 386-437-7526.
