The HHS Future Problem Solvers have had one of the most successful seasons in their history and accomplished this with a young team. The maximum number of HHS teams, five total teams, qualified for the state competition that took place on Saturday, April 12 at the University of Nebraska Kearney.
“Actually, we’ve had a really good FPS season. We had six teams go out with lots of freshmen and new members, which is exciting,” Sponsor Jim Fielder said. “Out of the six, we qualified five for state, which is really the most that you can have per school, because they put limits on how many we can take, so that was good. We don’t have any seniors this year. So those were all our juniors, sophomores and freshmen.”
To reach state, the HHS FPS teams submitted a qualifying problem that was evaluated.
“We do a practice problem a couple weeks before; there’s like a window, and we send them in, and they’re evaluated and sent back to us with notes and comments, and you have to meet a certain score to qualify for state,” sophomore Manon Buderus said.
Qualifying all five eligible teams for state is an unlikely feat because one’s team needs stronger backups then other programs’ starters.
“Well, what’s really cool [is] since I’ve been sort of a coach of this, we’ve always qualified teams for state, but some years it’s only been one or two. So this is actually the most that we’ve qualified in any one year, because it’s a statewide contest, so you’re competing against a number of schools. We had really good results, and I was really proud of some that went out for the first time this year,” Fielder said. “Sometimes we don’t see that. Some of our freshmen never did it, and they did a really nice job preparing and learning the system for future problems.”
Getting involved early has helped the team to form connections and strengthen their skills. Freshmen participation continues to build the program that has no graduating seniors, which will allow the team to continue to growget even better and return the entire team.
“I feel like there’s a lot of good freshmen. It’s been kind of the same people since middle school that’ve been doing it. I feel like we have a good group,” Reynolds said.
FPS covers modern problems that need solutions, which means students are preparing to impact the real world by solving problems that don’t have a definite solution yet.
“Well, like it’s a lot of science, and so the actual problem solving, tackling real-world problems. I mean, these aren’t made up; these are going on now in the world,” Fielder said. “So I like that aspect of it where these are real issues, and the kids come up with very creative solutions, and our leaders that are getting paid big dollars and then government offices and stuff are, I’m sure, coming up with some similar type ideas too. So the realism of it is sort of a neat thing.”
To understand these accomplishments, it’s important to understand how FPS works.
“FPS is a team competition, usually in groups of like two to four, and we work together under a time limit to write challenges and solutions about a future topic and scene,” sophomore Sophia Reynolds said.
This year’s topic for state was nanotechnology, which brings unique challenges to the FPS state qualifiers.
“So in the last month, it’s been primarily research, seeing what the current issues are with nano technology. It’s so new that they’re still discovering some of the problems with the idea that there’s safety and security and implications on health,” Fielder said. “When something is so new, and they rush it out there, they don’t know until maybe sometimes years later, what the problems are going to be. So we’re just looking at, right now, what do we know about nanotechnology, where the uses and potential problems are.”
To reach state, the HHS FPS team submitted a qualifying problem that was evaluated.
“We do a practice problem a couple weeks before; there’s like a window, and we send them in, and they’re evaluated and sent back to us with notes and comments, and you have to meet a certain score to qualify for state,” sophomore Manon Buderus said.
The skills that make up a successful FPS team are complex. Members need to master not just learning information, but also creativity, communication, and writing skills to succeed in a pressure-filled competitive environment.
“You have to be focused and know about the subject you’re studying. You also have to have creative ideas, good time management, teamwork, be dedicated to your team, and everybody has to contribute,” Reynolds said.
FPS members describe the experience of competing in Future Problem Solvers as enjoyable and motivating, despite the intensity.
“We’ve had a lot of meetings. I feel like we’ve been working harder this season, and it’s been more fun. I’ve been doing it with my friends, and I feel like we’re gonna do well at state,” Reynolds said.
The snacks and friendships made practices memorable and enjoyable for members such as Buderus.
“I thought the qualifying problem was fun, and we had pizza before. I also loved when we had cookies, and I got done with basketball practice and there’d be a treat. It’s just fun to be with my friends and stretch my brain,” Buderus said.
Getting involved early has helped the team to form connections and strengthen their skills. Freshmen participation continues to build the program that has no graduating seniors, which will allow the team to continue to grow and return the entire team.
“I feel like there’s a lot of good freshmen. It’s been kind of the same people since middle school that’ve been doing it. I feel like we have a good group,” Reynolds said.
As they prepare to compete at state, the FPS team has remained committed to finishing the job by understanding the topic, even though they won’t know exactly what scenario that will be.
“We’ve been really studying nanotechnology and different problems that could come with it and trying to figure out solutions for them. Even though we don’t know what our future scene is going to be, we know the topic of nanotechnology, so we’ve been pretty locked in studying for it,” Reynolds said.
