Schools

Richfield Future Problem Solvers Teams Advance to State Competition

Many teams earned top honors at the regional competition in early February. Now, some are moving on to state on April 6.

Editor's Note: The following was submitted by FPS coach, Sheila Johnston.

On Saturday, Feb 2, 45 teams and several individual competitors from Columbia Heights, Eden Prairie, Farmington, Lake City, Minnetonka, Richfield, and Wayzata gathered at Richfield Middle School to compete in the Regional Future Problem Solving Bowl. 

The topic for the regional competition was Megacities. All Richfield Schools were represented at the competition, and all came away with top honors! After months spent researching the topic of Megacities and honing their problem solving skills, students competed in both the Written and Oral Presentation Competitions. 

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Sheila Johnston, co-director of the Regional Future Problem Solving Bowl, compared the day to an Ironman Triathlon. Students spend the day working with their teams to solve a futuristic scenario related to the topic without notes or assistance.

In order to complete the written portion of the competition, students must read critically, think critically and with originality, brainstorm and communicate orally, write with purpose and elaboration, and manage their time wisely while completing their 11 page written competition booklet.  For the Oral Presentation Competition, students use all their creativity to “market” their Action Plan in a creative performance.  According to Mrs. Johnston, anyone who completed the day’s competition was an “iron thinker!”

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The Richfield teams received the following awards:

Oral Presentation Competition

Junior Division 1:  First Place, Centennial,

Junior Division 2: First Place, Sheridan Hills, Second Place, Centennial, Third Place, RSTEM

Junior Division 3: First Place, Richfield Dual Language, Second Place, RSTEM

Middle Division:  Third Place, Richfield Middle School

Senior Division:  Second Place, Richfield High School

Awards for Excellence in Writing a Significant Underlying Problem

and Action Plan went to teams from Centennial, Richfield Middle School, and Richfield High School.

Following the competition, the booklets completed by the teams and individuals were evaluated, and the highest scoring teams from each region were invited to participate in the State Future Problem Solving Competition. The topic for the state competition is Ocean Soup.  The following teams were the top teams in the Written Competition at the Regional Future Problem Solving Bowl.  They have earned berths at the State Future Problem Solving Competition to be held on Saturday, April 6, in Forest Lake.

Written Competition

Junior Division

RSTEM, Third Place

Sheridan Hills, Teams 1 and 2, tied for 5th Place

Centennial, At Large

Middle Division

Richfield Middle School

Senior Division

Richfield High School

Individual Competition

Owen Lyngaas, Sheridan Hills

The teams are coached by Sheila Johnston, Centennial and Sheridan Hills, Mindy Hendrickson, Richfield Dual Language, Gary Schuette and Sandy Sandvig, RSTEM, Kristin Lyngaas, Richfield Middle School, and Mike Harris, Richfield High School.

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