Team prepares for international competition

Future Problem Solvers will compete at Michigan State

By Micaiah Wise, Sentinel reporter, mwise@lewistownsentinel.com
REEDSVILLE — No one can accuse four Indian Valley Middle School pupils of not thinking about their future. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Ben Fowler, Nihar Suthar, Selina Roman-White and Suruchi Sheth were crowned state champions for the Intermediate Division at the Pennsylvania Future Problem Solving Program’s State Affiliate Bowl. The team will represent the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania at the international competition scheduled from May 28 to June 1 at Michigan State University.

Although the team competed in the international event two years ago, Sheth said he and his teammates are both nervous and excited at the same time.

“The competition involves much research and time on the part of the team,” said adviser Jack Anderson.

“Our Mifflin County team received first place in the State for its plan relating to the topic, ‘Debt in Developing Countries,’” Anderson said.

In the two-hour competition, the pupils had to complete a six-step process which included examining the facts for a future scenario in the year 2050 and writing challenges that were most likely to occur given the scenario’s facts. In step two, the pupils focused on a specific challenge to identify an underlying problem.

In step three, they had to write 16 different solutions that addressed a key phrase and purpose, Fowler said. This step is important because through it the team narrows in on the situation’s underlying problem, he said.

In steps four and five, the team developed criteria to evaluate the best solutions and to determine which solution would be the most effective in solving the underlying problem. In step six, the team created a detailed action plan to explain how its best solution would impact the future scenario.

Some comments the team received from the competition judges were, “a very strong first step” and “good background knowledge.”

The team now is preparing for the international competition by researching the topic of child labor.

Suthar explained the team is given a list of resources about child labor several weeks prior to the competition. The four pupils and Anderson spend school periods reading the resources and hypothesizing about possible future scenarios, he said.

Roman-White said the team is focusing on trying to improve its application of the research to identify challenges and solutions.

Evaluators give the team points based on the number of accepted challenges and solutions written from a variety of categories, such as government and politics, ethics and religion, transportation or technology.

The key to success is the team’s ability to create a variety of challenges and focus in on a solid underlying problem. The problem is the most important step, because it dictates the direction the team will take in writing solutions, Anderson said.

A finely tuned team should be able to apply this six-step process to any future scenario, Anderson said.

Everyone on the team has a specific job to do and a time line in which to accomplish these objectives, he said.

The team members also are reviewing the comments from the evaluators that scored their State Bowl booklet in order to improve their ability to compete at the International competition, Anderson said.

“These kids are truly amazing, with their go-the-extra-mile effort. I know that our team will make Pennsylvania and the Mifflin County School District proud at the international competition,” Anderson said.

“The Mifflin County School District has been very supportive of all our ... teams,” he said.

This year the Mifflin County teams placed first in the Intermediate Division, second in the Junior Division and third in the Senior Division.

For additional information about the Pennsylvania Future Problem Solving Program, go online to www.mcsdk12.org/fpsp or www.fpspi.org.