May 15, 2007

Students headed to International Future Problem Solving contest
Teams, individuals earn top finishes in State Bowl

Grapevine-Colleyville ISD students are fine-tuning their problem solving skills as they prepare for the International Future Problem Solving Competition this month. Students representing Grapevine and Heritage middle schools will join students from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Russia in the competition.

The Future Problem Solving program incorporates individual and team projects designed to spark creative thinking and enhance problem-solving skills. This year, GMS sixth-grader Michele Newman and the Community Problem Solving team from HMS will represent GCISD and Texas in the international competition May 31-June 3 at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo.

Students traveled to Austin in April for the State Bowl, where teams competed against future problem solvers from across Texas. In addition, scenario authors and students participating in the Community Problem Solving competition received awards for contests already completed. Of those, Newman was honored as the first-place winner in the state scenario writing competition and fifth-place winner in the international round in the junior division. She will be recognized during opening ceremonies of the international competition and her scenario will be published in the 2007 International Scenario Writing Champions book. She is coached by Carolyn Forbes.

Other students who placed in the state scenario writing competition are: Elizabeth Anderson of Cross Timbers Middle School, second place junior division, coached by Cindy Deardorf; Austin Pettyjohn of Heritage Middle School, third place junior division, coached by Vickie Ikner; Jessica Wagner and Geneva Chin, both of Grapevine Middle School, finalists in the junior division, coached by Forbes; Grace Langendorf of GMS, second place intermediate division, coached by Forbes.

In Community Problem Solving, the HMS team won first in the Leadership category, was selected as the at-large state winner in the intermediate division and will represent GCISD and Texas at the international contest. As part of this year’s project, STARS: Students Teaching and Reaching Special needs, eighth-grade students have contributed more than 100 community service hours working with The Clubhouse for Special Needs, Inc., in Bedford to increase the interaction between able-bodied teens and their special needs peers.

Last year’s HMS eighth-grade Community Service class, which coordinated the year-long Teens ‘N Transition project during the 2005-2006 school year, also advanced to international competition and placed first in the Civic and Cultural category.

“We are so proud of our students who must research a topic, work as a team and develop their creative thinking skills so that they can flexibly and imaginatively approach problems,” said Lynne Buchwald, Future Problem Solving trainer/coach and secondary reading specialist in GCISD. “Innovation and creativity are valued in the workplace and, through the Future Problem Solving program, we are helping students develop the skills needed in their future careers.”

At the state level, the winning Community Problem Solving projects are:

STARS, Students Teaching and Reaching Special needs, Heritage Middle School
Leadership category, intermediate division, and Texas at-large competitor at the international competition
Summary: Eighth-grade students worked with The Clubhouse for Special Needs, Inc., in Bedford in order to increase the interaction between able-bodied teens and their special needs peers.
Coaches: Pam Jones and Janene Pearson
Team members: Kamran Ali, Amika Alibhai, Catherine Chambers, Caris Fawcett, Katie Giberson, Bailey Hamelwright, Claire Koch, Christen LaChance, Sarah Ledford, Kruti Patel, Sheena Patel, Gretchen Schneider, Jessica Stringer, Rachel Thompson and Erin Wayland.

PAWS, Pet Adoption Work Service, Grapevine Middle School
Civic Pride category, intermediate division
Summary: Students worked to increase awareness in the community of the number of stray animals that are placed in local humane society shelters, and assisted shelters with donations of food, blankets and pet toys.
Coach: Carolyn Forbes
Team members: Jesse Ayers, Meredith Feeny, Eliana Guillen, Dallas Kaman, Raamis Khwaja, Nathan Kirksey, Mariana Martin, Kelly Nichols, Chelsea Noffsinger, Eric Richter, Marta Sucur and Tory Warner.

Project TREE: Treating, Respecting and Enriching our Environment, Grapevine High School
Leadership category, senior division
Summary: Students worked to raise awareness in the community of environmental issues with activities such as planting trees and hosting trash pick-up days. Students also wrote a curriculum for elementary students regarding environmental issues.
Coach: Karen Moxley
Team members: Allison Bartels, Anne Harris, Katherine Murray, Lauren Sciarappa, Gabby Sewing and Anisha Suterwala.

Problem solving teams that competed at the state competition were:

Colleyville Middle School
One team coached by Deborah Morgan
Team members: Brittany Forte, Sal Muller, Justine Singleary, Kylie Smith and Jennifer Wray.

Cross Timbers Middle School
Three teams coached by Karen Moxley
Team members: Andie Biggs, Emmeline Byerly, Austin Stevens, Analise Fagan, Clarise Fischbach, Jonah Grimes, William Read, Traci Walterscheid, Austin Friedricks, Will Hicks, Nico Nakamura, Sarah Park and Sarah Bogan.

Grapevine Middle School
Two teams coached by Sheri Hill
Team members: Makenzie Brown, Rachel Crilley, Dieo Montes De Oca, Will Szendrey, Zachary Burner, Julia Deleeuw, Jared Lowe, Andrea Steward and T.J. Egeland.

Heritage Middle School
Six teams coached by Pam Jones
Team members: Jason Berry, Chris Boyd, Benjamin Brockett, Michelle Burden, Sydney Cox, Briana Felix, Sam Brock, Maureen Clark, Sasha Rios, Aanya Sagheer, Amika Alibhai, Catherine Chambers, Katie Giberson, Nellie Tiggelaar, Nina Bosco, Kyle Feola, Aum Patel, Mark Kleinwechter, Matthew McClure, Connor Park, Mitch Tasker, Kruti Patel, Justus Schafer, Rachel Thompson, Felix Xiao and Alexandra Yauch.
Individual problem solving: Andrew Kleinschmidt.

The HMS team of Brock, Clark, Rios and Sagheer won the Most Futuristic Solution Award for their competition booklet and placed in the top 10 out of 61 teams that competed in state competition. Team members Alibhai, Chambers, Giberson and Tiggelaar also placed in the top 10.