Future Problem Solving Illinois is an accredited member of Future Problem Solving’s international global network.
We are excited to continue Kentucky’s rich history of success on the Future Problem Solving world stage including this year’s world champion middle division Global Issues team.
CREATIVE WRITING
2nd Place Middle
Jack – Lake Central High School
GLOBAL ISSUES – MAGIC
1st Place Middle
Grace – School ?
(with teammates from Australia, California, Washington)
CREATIVE WRITING
6th Place Junior
Adleigh – JCIB Middle School
GLOBAL ISSUES – INDIVIDUAL
1st Place Senior
Brett – Aurora High School
GLOBAL ISSUES – ACTION PLAN PRESENTATION
1st Place Middle
Aurora Middle School
Rhett, Owen, Cason, Emily, Lauren
GLOBAL ISSUES – MAGIC
3rd Place Middle
Lauren – Aurora Middle School
(with teammates from Florida, New Jersey, Washington)
GLOBAL ISSUES – TEAM
10th Place Junior
Aurora Middle School
Rhett, Owen, Cason, Emily
GLOBAL ISSUES – INDIVIDUAL
1st Place Senior
Brett – Aurora High School
GLOBAL ISSUES – MAGIC
1st Place Senior
Brooklyn – North Bend Central Middle School
(with teammates from Florida, New Jersey, Texas)
GLOBAL ISSUES – ACTION PLAN PRESENTATION
1st Place Junior
Aurora Middle School
Laramie, Emmersen, Sammy, Landon
3rd Place Junior
Aurora Middle School
Rhett, Owen, Cason, Emily, Miles
2026 World Finals Winners
(International Conference)
GLOBAL ISSUES – MAGIC
2nd Place Junior
Aimee – Alpha STEM for the Gifted
(with teammates from France, North Carolina, Washington)
CREATIVE WRITING
2nd Place Senior
Jordan – Northumberland High School
2025 World Solutions Challenge Winners
(Virtual Event)
RISING SEA LEVELS
1st Place Junior
Arjun and Sai – Gum Spring Middle School
2025 World Finals Winners
(International Conference)
GLOBAL ISSUES – INDIVIDUAL
5th Place Junior
Connor – Academy for Discovery at Lakewood
2024 World Finals Winners
(International Conference)
CREATIVE WRITING
1st Place Senior
Nicola – H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program
Our pilot Visual Arts program (only available for middle and senior division students) provides an opportunity for those with artistic ability to present original artwork that brings their image of the future to life. The real world issues we use engage and inspire learning.
How it Works
Artists develop a creative, futuristic piece of art to entertain and inform audiences using our annual topics as inspiration for their artistic expression. Students learn to thoroughly research a real world issue and make a prediction of the future using our 6-step problem-solving process. They relate their vision through a two- or three-dimensional piece of artwork (judged via photos in the two qualifying rounds) along with a 100 word description. Artists compete as individuals. We invite regional winners to attend our Virginia State Bowl to showcase their artwork live (or via photos if their art is not transportable) and compete in our state finals competition in-person.
GLOBAL ISSUES
2nd Place Middle Team
Eli, Austin, Alex, Steven – Thomas Jefferson High School
Honorable Mention Middle Team
Maiia, Maya, Annalise, Lalita Kriti – Neshaminy High School
6th Place Junior Individual
Stella – Wissahickon Middle School
GLOBAL ISSUES – MAGIC
1st Place Junior
Savannah – Poquessing Middle School
(with teammates from Mississippi, Ohio, Utah)
CREATIVE WRITING
4th Place Senior
Dashiell – Morgantown High School
5th Place Junior
Iris – Mountaineer Middle School
4th Place Junior (Action Plan Presentation)
Coonley Elementary –
Kit, Maddie, Abby, Abby, Quinn
4th Place Middle (Action Plan Presentation)
Prescott Elementary School –
Olivia, Finnegan, Salila, Dominic
2nd Place Middle (Community Projects Individual)
Helping Future Fifth Graders – Coonley Elementary
5th Place Senior (Creative Writing)
Chloe – Walter Payton College Prep
2nd Place Middle (Global Issues MAGIC)
Alexandra – Coonley Elementary
(with teammates from Massachusetts, Washington, and Wisconsin)
3rd Place Junior (Global Issues Individual)
Glenbrook Elementary – Teresa
Honorable Mention Junior (Global Issues Individual)
Coonley Elementary –
Kit, Maddie, Abby, Abby
Honorable Mention Senior (Global Issues Individual)
Walter Payton College Prep –
Brian, Kelly, Marlina
GLOBAL ISSUES – INDIVIDUAL
2nd Place Junior
Myra – Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy
2nd Place Middle
Anya – Ardrey Kell High School
3rd Place Senior
Mahi – Providence High School
GLOBAL ISSUES – TEAM
Honorable Mention Junior
Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy
Aadhya, Sahithi, Rupa, Sanvi
Honorable Mention Junior
Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy
Shreyan, Dhruv, Anvi, Shwetha
6th Place Middle
Charlotte Latin School, Myers Park High School, Northwest School of the Arts
Emma, Eliza, Luke, Eliza
Honorable Mention Middle
Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy, Telra Institute
Aparna, Reet, Aathmika, Avanthika
GLOBAL ISSUES – ACTION PLAN PRESENTATION
2nd Place Senior
Providence High School, Ballantyne Ridge High School, Audrey Kell High School
Bhadra, Neha, Lily, Amina, Anya
4th Place Senior
Ballantyne Ridge High School
Tanishi, Cameron, Richa, Shradha
Finalist Middle
Charlotte Latin School, Myers Park High School, Northwest School of the Arts
Emma, Eliza, Luke, Eliza
GLOBAL ISSUES – MAGIC
1st Place Junior
Hridhaan – Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy
(with teammates from France, Washington)
2nd Place Junior
Shourya – Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy
(with teammates from France, Virginia, Washington)
1st Place Middle
Sanvi – Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy
(with teammates from France, Washington)
CREATIVE WRITING
7th Place Middle
Liz – Ardrey Kell High School
GLOBAL ISSUES – TEAM
1st Place Middle (Team)
Summer, Neha, Nora, Varin – Providence High School & Marvin Ridge High School
2nd Place Junior (Team)
Risha, Jasmine, Annam, Dia – Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy
8th Place Senior(Team)
Griffin, Darden, Caroline, Caroline – Myers Park High School
GLOBAL ISSUES – INDIVIDUAL
3rd Place Middle (Individual)
Anya – Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy
8th Place Junior (Team)
Yukta, Yuvan, Aathmika, Sohini – Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy
9th Place Junior (Team)
Aparna, Reet, Iraa, Avanthika – Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy
COMMUNITY PROJECTS
1st Place Middle (Individual)
CentSafari – Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy
Anya
4th Place Senior (Team)
Seeds of Change – Ardrey Kell High School
Rutwa, Claire, Meadow, Ziyu
CREATIVE WRITING
2nd Place Middle
Liz – Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy
5th Place Senior
Summer – Providence High School
GLOBAL ISSUES – INDIVIDUAL
2025
1st Place Middle
Jessica – Grenada FPS Club
GLOBAL ISSUES – MAGIC
2024
1st Place Junior
Jessica – Grenada FPS Club
(With teammates from Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Utah)
2023
2nd Place Middle
Mary – Grenada FPS Club
(With teammates from around the world)
GLOBAL ISSUES – MAGIC
2nd Place Junior
Danika – Mary Lin Elementary
(with teammates from Florida, Singapore, Washington)
GLOBAL ISSUES – TEAM
9th Place Middle
Emma, Ethan, Ben, Nicholas – Lake Highland Preparatory School
GLOBAL ISSUES – INDIVIDUAL
4th Place Junior
Sannvi – West Melbourne School for Science
4th Place Senior
Eshan – West Shore Jr/Sr High School
GLOBAL ISSUES – MAGIC
3rd Place Junior
Christopher – Lake Highland Preparatory School
(with teammates from New Jersey, Utah, Washington)
4th Place Junior
Jai – Lake Highland Preparatory School
(with teammates from New Jersey, Texas, Washington)
3rd Place Middle
Jaouhar – Gotha Middle School
(with teammates from Nebraska, New Jersey, Washington)
2nd Place Senior
Muhammad – Flagler Palm Coast High School
(with teammates from Kentucky, Ohio, Texas)
COMMUNITY PROJECTS
1st Place Junior Individual
Colorful Kindness – West Melbourne School for Science
Suchita
4th Place Junior Team
The Positivity Patrol
Abdo, Cole, Austin, Cece, Aspen, Derrick, Ethan, Mira, Nathanelle, Jordy – Rymfire Elementary
2nd Place Middle Individual
Stitch Space – Indian Trails Middle School
Mia
4th Place Middle TeamMoney Minds – Lake Highland Preparatory School
Aarav, Shiva, Sohith
3rd Place Senior TeamSave Our Lagoon – West Shore Jr/Sr High School
Shriya, Eshan, Raaha, Sid, Joseph
CREATIVE WRITING
1st Place Middle
Sanjana – Lake Highland Preparatory School
6th Place Senior
Eva – Matanzas High School
STORYTELLING
1st Place Middle
Zachary – Lake Highland Preparatory School
GLOBAL ISSUES – TEAM
Honorable Mention Middle
Solon High School, Solon Middle School
Akshara, Marina, Nandan, James
8th Place Senior
Solon High School, Solon Middle School
Vedanshi, Mannat, Charvi, Sofia
GLOBAL ISSUES – INDIVIDUAL
5th Place Senior
Nandita – Solon High School
GLOBAL ISSUES – MAGIC
2nd Place Senior
Steve – Solon High School
(with teammates from Florida, Kentucky, Texas)
4th Place Senior
Rebecca – Solon High School
(with teammates from Kentucky, Texas)
COMMUNITY PROJECTS
1st Place Senior (Individual)
S.T.R.A.P. the Stroke
Nandita – Solon High School
GLOBAL ISSUES – INDIVIDUAL
6th Place Middle
Wesley – Wasatch Junior High School
GLOBAL ISSUES – MAGIC
3rd Place Junior
Naomi – West Valley Elementary
(with teammates from Florida, New Jersey, Washington)
4th Place Middle
Sami – Wasatch Junior High School
(with teammates from Australia, New Jersey, Washington)
CREATIVE WRITING
1st Place Junior
Gisele – Churchill Junior High
GLOBAL ISSUES – TEAM
1st Place Junior
Eastern Iowa Home Schoolers and Pathway Christian School
Jeremiah, Josiah, Zachariah, Mateo
Honorable Mention Middle
Eastern Iowa Home Schoolers
Lydia, Cecilia, Patrick, Asher
2nd Place Senior
Eastern Iowa Home Schoolers
Katelynn, Molly, Noelle
GLOBAL ISSUES – INDIVIDUAL
6th Place Senior
Noah – Ames High School
CREATIVE WRITING
5th Place Junior
Josiah – Eastern Iowa Home Schoolers
STORYTELLING
1st Place Junior
Zachariah – Eastern Iowa Home Schoolers
GLOBAL ISSUES – ACTION PLAN PRESENTATIONS
4th Place Senior
Eastern Iowa Home Schoolers
Ciaran, Gabby, Katelynn, Molly, Noelle
GLOBAL ISSUES – TEAM
10th Place Senior
Marquette High School, Ladue Horton Watkins High School, John Burroughs School*
Alex, Isabella, Steven, Wangshu
GLOBAL ISSUES – MAGIC
1st Place Senior
Sophia – Ladue Horton Watkins High School*
(with teammates from California, New Zealand, Texas)
CREATIVE WRITING
3rd Place Senior
Alex – Ladue Horton Watkins High School*
GLOBAL ISSUES – TEAM
3rd Place Senior
Marquette High School, Ladue Horton Watkins High School, John Burroughs School*
Alex, Isabella, Steven, Wangshu
GLOBAL ISSUES – INDIVIDUAL
3rd Place Senior
Anthony – Ladue Horton Watkins High School*
CREATIVE WRITING
2nd Place Senior
Alex – Ladue Horton Watkins High School*
* Coached by Private Tutor
GLOBAL ISSUES – TEAM
6th Place Senior – Charles-Henri, Naima, Beatrice (Royal West Academy, Canada)
Honorable Mention Middle – Sara, Carla, Pablo, Sancho (Coruña British International School, Spain)
GLOBAL ISSUES – ACTION PLAN PRESENTATIONS
5th Place Senior – Charles-Henri, Naima, Beatrice (Royal West Academy, Canada)
GLOBAL ISSUES – MAGIC
1st Place Junior – Chenxi (Institut Notre Dame, France) with North Carolina and Washington students
2nd Place Junior – Loïc (Institut Notre Dame, France) with North Carolina, Virginia, and Washington students
1st Place Middle – Marie-Thérèse (Institut Notre Dame, France) with North Carolina and Washington students
COMMUNITY PROJECTS – TEAM
1st Place Middle – Upper Valley Indoor Air Quality: Coop, Hans, Hugo, Oliver (Crossroads Academy, Richmond Middle School, Marion Cross Elementary School, New Hampshire)
GLOBAL ISSUES – TEAM
8th Place Junior
Ramapo Ridge Middle School
Daniel, Elizabeth, Aaron, Miru
Honorable Mention Senior
Mahwah High School
Lillian, Lysia, Avani, Albert
GLOBAL ISSUES – MAGIC
3rd Place Junior
Indigo – Cedar Hill Preparatory School
(with teammates from Florida, Utah, Washington)
4th Place Junior
Isra – Cedar Hill Preparatory School
(with teammates from Florida, Texas, Washington)
3rd Place Middle
Madeleine – Mahwah High School
(with teammates from Florida, Nebraska, Washington)
4th Place Middle
Dishita – West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North
(with teammates from Australia, Utah, Washington)
3rd Place Senior
Aarya – West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North
(with teammates from Australia, Texas, Washington)
COMMUNITY PROJECTS
1st Place Middle (Individual)
Breakthrough
Kahil – Grover Middle School
1st Place Senior (Team)
CONNECT
Sravya, Slesha – West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North
2nd Place Senior (Individual)
MicroWise
Anvi – West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North
CREATIVE WRITING
6th Place Middle
Ira – Robbinsville High School
7th Place Senior
Aarya – West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South
Global Issues
Teams (4 students): $130 per team
Individuals: $60 per student
Community Projects
Teams (up to 15 students): $160 per team
Individuals: $160 per student
Creative Writing
Individuals: $30 per student
Storytelling
Individuals: $30 per student
Learning Problem Solving
Teams (1 to 4 students): $40 per team
Data from the The Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) was collected by Grandview Middle School and provided to Scholastic Testing Service, Inc. for statistical analysis.
Findings reported by Scholastic Testing Service, Inc. Performance data on the MCA was collected from 2010-2014 for students in grade 6 at Grandview Middle School in Mound, MN (Westonka Public School District). Students were identified as either FPS: students participating in a Future Problem Solving program, or Non-FPS: students not participating in the program. Summary statistics using Reading and Mathematics Scaled Scores were developed for each group of students by year and across years. To determine if the mean scores across the years were significantly different, t-tests were used. A Cohen’s d test was then performed to measure the effect of the size of the found differences.
Seventy-five participants from one suburban high school formed 21 teams with 3–4 members each for Future Problem Solving (FPS). Students were selected to participate in either the regular FPS or an enhanced FPS, where multiple group training activities grounded in problem-solving style were incorporated into a 9-week treatment period.
An ANCOVA procedure was used to examine the difference in team responses to a creative problem-solving scenario for members of each group, after accounting for initial differences in creative problem-solving performance, years of experience in FPS, and creative thinking related to fluency, flexibility, and originality. The ANCOVA resulted in a significant difference in problem-solving performance in favor of students in the treatment group (F(1, 57) = 8.21, p = .006, partial eta squared = .126, medium), while there were no significant differences in years of experience or creativity scores. This result led researchers to conclude that students in both groups had equivalent creative ability and that participation in the group activities emphasizing problem-solving style significantly contributed to creative performance.
In the comparison group, a total of 47% had scores that qualified for entry to the state competition. In contrast, 89% of the students in the treatment group had scores that qualified them for the state bowl. None of the teams from the comparison group qualified for the international competition, while two teams from the treatment group were selected, with one earning sixth place.
The Journal of Creative Behavior, Vol. 0, Iss. 0, pp. 1–12 © 2017 by the Creative Education Foundation, Inc. DOI: 10.1002/jocb.176
In 2011, a team of researchers from the University of Virginia submitted a report titled “Future Problem Solving Program International—Second Generation Study.” (Callahan, Alimin, & Uguz, 2012). The study, based on a survey, collected data from over 150 Future Problem Solving alumni to understand the impact of their participation in Future Problem Solving as students or volunteers.
Data was obtained from 220 coaches, 633 students, 195 parents, and 34 affiliate directors nationally and internationally
The Center for Creative Learning, USA (Treffinger, Selby, and Crumel) completed an international evaluation of Future Problem Solving including three competitive programs (Global Issues, Community Projects, and Creative Writing). Surveys ascertained 1,082 respondents’ views of: the extent to which Future Problem Solving and its programs meet their stated goals, the strengths of the programs and areas for improvement, and the impact of the program on its participants.
All respondents with current experience participating in each program rated a comprehensive list of 11-12 skills using a 5-point Likert scale. The adult groups identified the impact on participating students’ learning and growth, and the students identified what skills their participation helped them with the most.
GLOBAL ISSUES
Adults – Coaches and Affiliate Directors (151)
Students (242)
COMMUNITY PROJECTS
Adults – Coaches and Affiliate Directors (64)
Students (107)
CREATIVE WRITING
Adults – Coaches and Affiliate Directors (82)
Students (146)
Note, 88% of parents were satisfied with the Future Problem Solving program their youngster(s) participated in and a majority of parents with eligible students anticipated a high level of interest in participating again next year (60.9%).
A group of 48 alumni also responded to surveys focused on their past experiences and the impact those experiences had on their development into adulthood. Approximately 8 in 10 reported Future Problem Solving was very helpful or extremely helpful in secondary school (81%), in academic work after high school (78%), and in other life experiences outside school or academic work (81%). Looking back on their experience, the aspects below were rated the five most important and valuable.
5-point Likert scale:
Adults: 1 = Little or no impact, 2 = Limited impact, 3 = Moderate impact, 4 = High impact, 5 = Exceptional impact
Students: 1= Hasn’t helped me at all, 2 = Helped me just a little, 3 = Helped me = “Okay”, 4 = Helped me quite a bit, 5= Really a great help to me
Alumni: 1=Not Important, 2=Of Little Importance, 3=Somewhat Important, 4=Very Important, 5=Extremely Important
A seasoned educator, April Michele has served as the Executive Director since 2018 and been with Future Problem Solving more than a decade. Her background in advanced curriculum strategies and highly engaging learning techniques translates well in the development of materials, publications, training, and marketing for the organization and its global network. April’s expertise includes pedagogy and strategies for critical and creative thinking and providing quality educational services for students and adults worldwide.
Prior to joining Future Problem Solving, April taught elementary and middle grades, spending most of her classroom career in gifted education. She earned the National Board certification (NBPTS) as a Middle Childhood/Generalist and later served as a National Board assessor for the certification of others. In addition, April facilitated the Theory and Development of Creativity course for the state of Florida’s certification of teachers. She has also collaborated on a variety of special projects through the Department of Education. Beyond her U.S. education credentials, she has been trained for the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP) in Humanities.
A graduate of the University of Central Florida with a bachelor’s in Elementary Education and the University of South Florida with a master’s in Gifted Education, April’s passion is providing a challenging curriculum for 21st century students so they are equipped with the problem-solving and ethical leadership skills they need to thrive in the future. As a board member in her local Rotary Club, she facilitates problem solving in leadership at the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA). She is also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) from the Project Management Institute and earned her certificate in Nonprofit Management from the Edyth Bush Institute at Rollins College.
