ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH - NORTHERN MIDDLE WINS INTERNATIONAL TITLES
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| Northern FPS and CmPS teams (Front, L-R): Rossi Clark, Evan Holbrook, Andrea Jenkins, Brittany Ferrell, Shelbie Phelps, Haley Stockham (back) Zach Wooldridge, Ben Crawford, Casey Clark, Coach Scott Sexton, Sarah Wiles, Mackenzi Cooper. |
Northern brought home two international titles from the Future Problem Solving Program International Conference held at Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, CO. They also had several events to finish in the top 10 in the competition. Northern competed with students from 48 states as well as students from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and China. Northern was represented in more events than any other school at the competition.
Scott Sexton, coach for the teams, was named the International Champion in the Adult Future Problem Solving competition. This was Scott Sexton's third straight appearance as a coach in the international competition. NMS sixth grader Evan Holbrook was named the International Champion of the Junior Division Individual Community Problem Solving competition for The B.U.D.D.Y. (Better Understanding Developmentally Disabled Youth) Project. Evan's project focused on pairing special needs students from Northern with students from Northern's Gifted and Talented program to provide increased educational and social interaction with the rest of the student body at Northern.
Shelbie Phelps finished second in the Middle Grades Individual Community Problem Solving competition for Project D.A.Y.C.A.R.E. (Developing Awareness in Young Children About Reading Enjoyment). For her project, Shelbie helped to establish libraries at Little Oaks Daycare and Judy's Daycare. She conducted book drives at Northern Middle School and Southern Middle School to help her reach her goal. Over 1,100 books were collected for the libraries. Northern's Middle Grades Community Problem Solving team focused on disaster preparedness for Project H.O.P.E. (Helping Others Prepare Effectively). As part of their project, they raised $1,000 for the local chapter of the American Red Cross as part of the School Challenge of the Heroes Campaign. They finished second in the Health and Environmental Concerns category of the competition narrowly losing to the team from New Zealand. Team members included: Casey Clark, Rossi Clark, Ben Crawford, Shelbie Phelps, Haley Stockham, Steven Thompson, and Zach Wooldridge.
Northern's Junior Division Community Problem Solving team, Project P.A.W.P.R.I.N.T., finished fourth in the Education Category of the competition. Project P.A.W.P.R.I.N.T. members have volunteered at a number of events for the Pulaski County Humane Society. They also collected 700 pounds of dog food for the Pulaski County Animal Shelter during the month of December. This group made a proposal to the Pulaski County Fiscal Court in February that helped lead to the creation of a new advisory council that has made many positive changes at the animal shelter. Pets from the animal shelter are now able to be taken into the Pulaski County Humane Society's foster care program, giving them a second chance at life. Because of their efforts there has been a significant decrease in the kill rate in Pulaski County. April 16-20 was the first week in the history of the Pulaski County Animal Shelter that no pets were euthanized. Team members include: Mackenzi Cooper, Brittany Ferrell, Evan Holbrook, Andrea Jenkins, and Sarah Wiles.
Mackenzi Cooper and Andrea Jenkins both competed in the Alternates Future Problem Solving competition. Students are paired with students from other states and countries as teammates for this competition. Mackenzi's team finished fourth in the competition, while Andrea's team finished fifth. Shelbie Phelps also finished eighth in the Individual Future Problem Solving competition.
During their trip to Colorado, the students and parents also enjoyed some sightseeing at Estes Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Pikes Peak, Cave of the Winds, Garden of the Gods, and Cheyenne, WY. The students would like to thank the many community sponsors who helped to make this trip possible as well as the Pulaski County Board of Education for their support of the competition. They would also like to thank NMS Principal Angela Murphy and NMS Assistant Principal Shelly Hargis for making the trip to Colorado to support them as they competed in the competition. We would like to thank Pam Butcher, Lana Mayfield and the faculty and staff at Northern Middle School for all of the help and support that was offered to the students throughout the year. Most of all, we would like to thank Jeff Clark, Clara Coomer, Shirley Cooper, Ed Holbrook, Susie Holbrook, Shelly Jenkins, Charles Langford, Lewis Phelps, Lori Phelps, Monika Wiles, Michael Wooldridge, and Nikki York for serving as chaperones during the trip.