Future Problem Solvers third in the world

St Andrew’s College Future Problem Solvers have proven once again they are among the best in the world, with two teams finishing in the top ten at the Future Problem Solving International Conference, held at Indiana University Bloomington, USA in June.

“We are thrilled with the results, and incredibly proud of the students’ achievements,” says Preparatory School Future Problem Solving and GATE teacher, Sonia Lewis, who coached both the Year 9 team which placed third, and the Year 8 Boys’ team which finished ninth in their respective categories.

The students qualified for the international conference in October last year, giving them the opportunity to compete against around 2000 problem-solving champions from around the globe.

“In March, eight weeks before the competition, the designated international topic, Air Quality, was released. We had to identify challenges, come up with one underlying problem, and solve solutions from a future scene which was given to the students at the contest. During the competition, they had two hours to work on this, using the six step Future Problem Solving model to complete their booklets.”

The Year 9 team of William Nicholls, Sophie Schouten, Genevieve Bainbridge-Smith, Alyssa Geddes, Alexa Collis (all Year 9), and Maja Clark (Year 8 leaver 2023), delivered an outstanding performance to place third in the world in the Presentation of Action Plan category. “It was an exceptional result given there were 72 teams in this division. We learnt so much from this experience, and had outstanding feedback from the judges, who said this was a world-class team,” says Sonia.

The Year 9 students qualified for the international event when they were in Year 8, and continued to work with Sonia. The current Year 8 Boys’ team of Cong (Zilong) Chen, Benjamin Edward, Louis Hyland, and Emmett Lawler (all Year 8) also did incredibly well to place ninth in Global Issues at the international event. “The judges commented this was another exceptional team,” says Sonia.

Also travelling with the team was individual competitor, Genevieve Bainbridge-Smith who took on the challenge of completing the six step Future Problem Solving booklet on her own, says Sonia. “It was a difficult task, but Genevieve completed all stages with confidence. A judge said she demonstrated exceptional writing skills”.

Along with their success at the competition and meeting other students from all over the world, Sonia says the St Andrew’s students enjoyed exploring the historic hallways of Indiana University, immersing themselves in the university town of Bloomington, staying in dorm rooms, and visiting both Chicago and Disneyland. “It was a wonderful trip. I would like to thank Head of Learning Enrichment and Year 7 Team Leader, Kelly McBride, for her wonderful support and incredible organisation and planning. It was seamless.”

Kelly McBride says the students were great ambassadors for St Andrew’s College and they, and Sonia, can be proud of their achievements. “Sonia has done a fantastic job in her first year of coaching, as it normally takes Future Problem Solving coaches up to five years to fully understand the programme. She is a passionate and enthusiastic teacher who has done a superb job to academically challenge our brightest students.”