2008-2009 Registration and Information

MN FPSPPO Box 810299 County Road 18Brownsville, MN 55919

FPS

Page 1* 2008-2009 Topics* FPSP and NASA’s

Solar Ambassadors Program

Page 2* Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking

* Six-Step Process* Special Thanks

Page 3* Think Globally

Page 4* IC 2008 Results

* Evaluation Director’s Note

Page 5* Message From a Former FPSer

* “As President...”

Page 6* FPSP and 21st Century Learning Skills

Page 7* What’s New?

* Regional Assignments* Fast Facts

Page 8* Bee’s Blog

* Oh, the Tangled Webs

Page 9* 2007-2008 Accomplishments

* Goals for 2008-2009* MN FPSP Supporters

Page 10* 2008-2009 MN FPSP Calendar

Page 11* Executive Director’s Note

* Welcome New Board Members

What ’s Inside ?

DUE TO THE FACT THAT...Minnesota Future Problem Solving Program

http://www.mnfpsp.org

Practice Problem One – Olympic GamesPractice Problem Two – Cyber Conflict

Regional Competition – Space JunkState Competition – Counterfeit Economy

International Competition -- Pandemic*See website for topic descriptors.

Be sure to ask us about the Community Problem Solving component!

Fall 2008

Topics for 2008-2009

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By: Earle Kyle, NASA/JPL SSA & Executive Director, TCC Systems, LLC

NASA wants to inspire the next generation of space explorers through its Solar System Ambassadors (SSA) Program. I’m in my 7th year as a NASA/JPL SSA giving lectures, video presentations, and other activities to schools; scout

groups; and rocket and astronomy clubs throughout southern Minnesota and upstate New York. In dealing with thousands of students ranging from elementary through high school, I’ve found most have extremely creative ideas to solve the problems confronting us today. They just need a formal structure to channel their creativity toward practical solutions. I’ve found FPSP to be the ideal mechanism to accomplish this.

Today NASA is working to establish a permanent outpost on the Moon as a stepping-stone for human missions to Mars. I tell kids as one of the aerospace engineers designing the Apollo spaceships that first took men to the Moon, I thought we had some tough design hurdles to overcome; yet they were minor compared to what they face in creating a colony on Mars. I’m

FPSP and NASA’s Solar System

Ambassadors Program

confident they’ll be up to the task. Creative minds usually find solutions when confronted with seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

Some say we shouldn’t support space because we have so many problems on Earth: global warming; energy, food, and water shortages; killer diseases; and wars. Yet today’s Einstein, Stephen Hawking, says that because of these problems we are at risk of being wiped out unless we move the human race out into space. But space actually has economic benefits giving a 1500% return on our investment by injecting over $220 Billion into the U.S. economy annually.

Perhaps the best reason to go into space was stated by President Kennedy when he set the Apollo objective to place a man on the Moon and return him safely to Earth before the end of the decade of the 1960’s. He said, “We do these things not because they are easy, but because they are hard.” Such programs attract the best and the brightest who love a meaningful challenge. The result has been thousands of new technologies that improved the quality of life here on Earth.

Taking the human race to Mars is the challenge for this generation. They will succeed, and in so doing will provide solutions to many of our problems. Mars missions will allow each crewman to use 400 times less water than the 130 gallons per day currently wasted by each American. This technology will help the two billion people on Earth with no clean water supply.

Other developments can drastically improve the life of millions around the globe.

Space hardware design is extremely difficult, requiring the utmost in creativity and teamwork. Because of the extreme complexity of such systems, no one person can do it all. One must learn to work effectively in a large team. FPSP helps by its development of teamwork skills. Today our country is faced with difficult challenges: Population aging; shortages of workers to support Social Security; and outsourcing of even legal and medical jobs to low wage countries in Asia. To address this we will need as many talented individuals as possible who learned to unleash their creative juices in programs like FPSP.

I am currently discussing with school systems in the Twin Cities and elsewhere a program called “House of the Future - Student Designs” which combines SSA activities with FPSP to inspire students to perform well, cooperate in teams, and find their special talent to help solve the problems of tomorrow for the benefit of all mankind. When I am asked by a school system to help redesign their curriculum to improve the number or the performance of kids in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) areas; or advise small hi-tech companies on ways to increase their global marketing potential; I always tell them two things: 1) unleash your most creative minds on the problem, and 2) find the “hot button” - the key to turn on the team so that the task has meaning and significance for them. Then stand back and watch them soar to success.

The challenge of creating a Mars colony will attract the best minds and be the fastest way to generate the technological spin offs needed to solve the pressing problems here on Earth. That’s why FPSP with its emphasis on creativity, future thinking, and teamwork is such an important tool for our schools.

Contact Information: Email: SolarAmbassador@yahoo.comWeb: http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/ambassador/profiles/Earle_Kyle.htm

For more about “Earl Kyle’s Aerospace Passion”see our website at www.mnfpsp.org

The FPS six-step, creative problem-solving process serves as the foundation for building dynamic thinking processes by:

Identifying challenges related to a topic or future 1. scene.Selecting an Underlying Problem.2. Producing solution ideas to the Underlying 3. Problem.Generating and selecting criteria to evaluate 4. solution ideas.Evaluating solution ideas to determine a “best” 5. solution.Developing an action plan.6.

The Six-Step Process

Attention Gifted and Talented Coordinators!

This past April, a team of G/T directors and teachers from Southeast Minnesota and Roseville were trained to score the Figural Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking.

Since that time there has been considerable interest in more training for the Figural Tests and training for the Verbal tests.

If you are interested in learning more about the Torrance Tests and training opportunities, please contact Cheryl at cheryl@mnfpsp.org or call 507-482-6867.

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Torrance Tests ofCreative Thinking

A special thanks to our many 2007-2008 Volunteers: Maura Stoltz-Hasan and Carl Pecinovsky for your yearlong volunteering, the parents at the regional competitions, and the parents at state!

Special Thanks!

My first exposure to FPS was in 2005, so I never enjoyed the privilege of being a part of this program while growing up. I wish I had! Being an evaluator the past several years has introduced me to a wealth of kids and educators who care about thinking and have fun exploring the places that thinking takes them. The future scenes are gateways into worlds to explore. Since they are closely tied to our own world, they provide concrete examples and motivational “launch points” for students to reason about our own world situations – present and future.

Make no mistake, these students will encounter challenges on a global scale just as they face the everyday challenges in their own sphere of influence. This was brought home to me recently when I visited the country of Zimbabwe for a couple of weeks in May. In this short article, I could not even begin to touch on the numerous challenges preying on that country; both today, and the ones looming in the future. Just visiting the rivers of spilled news ink over the past six months is enough to feel like one is drowning in challenges. The challenges are political, economical, technological, environmental, and they are relational. As is most often the case, these challenges are interconnected. But these are all the types of challenges that FPS addresses. I have several $50 million Zim dollar notes sitting on my desk from when I was there, but they are now worthless. At 165,000% annual inflation rate, they were greatly reduced in value just during my stay, and if that wasn’t enough, they expired in June.

Underpinning all of these categories, though, the largest challenge I saw was educational. The primary concern of the many young people I spoke with was that of getting an education, going to a good school or college, and being able to pass their exams so they could advance to the next “form”. When you have to bribe your teachers just so they remain employed, or you lose your opportunity to go to school because there is no longer any fuel in your region for public and private transportation, then you can just begin to grasp the challenges begging for solutions to be brought forward. And the youth there clearly see this. That’s why I feel strongly about Future Problem Solvers and its expansion. The existence of this program is itself a solution to educational challenges that will always be with us. In addition, it stresses creativity and teamwork – two items that align exactly with my own philosophy.

Have you seen the bumper sticker or quote that reads, “Think Globally, Act Locally”? This sums up how I see FPS positively impacting our world. The process helps us teach ourselves how to think globally, and we cannot help but act where we are.

Carl Pecinovsky is a software engineer at IBM in Rochester, MN, where he has worked for 11 years since graduating from Iowa State University with a degree in Computer Science. He has traveled to over 15 countries, mainly partnering with the work of churches and other charitable organizations. For the past three years, he has enjoyed reading FPS team booklets with other evaluators as well as helping IBM invest in FPS through community grants.

Think GloballyAn FPSP Testimonial -- an FPS Volunteer Speaks

By Carl Pecinovsky

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Senior Division - Onsite Scenario Writing Second Place – Elisha Gowen, Martin County West High School

Adult CompetitionSecond Place – Michelle McElmury, Bluff View Elementary, Lake City

Junior Division - Alternates CompetitionFirst Place – Troy Nibbe, Bluff View Elementary, Lake City

Middle Division – Alternates CompetitionSixth Place – Louise Edwards, Parkview Center School, RosevilleTenth Place – Kayleigh McClure, Parkview Center School, RosevilleEleventh Place – Kieran Vatland, Central Middle School, Eden Prairie

Individual CompetitionSenior Division – Ninth Place – Blake Potthoff, Martin County West High SchoolMiddle Division – Nineteenth Place – Matthew Stoffel, Martin County West High SchoolJunior Division – Thirteenth Place – Ann Dion, Parkview Center School, Roseville

Junior Team CompetitionSeventeenth Place – Derek Bremer, Johanna Ender, Cort McElmury, Megan Schramski, Bluff View Elementary, Lake City

The IC Dossier(IC 2008 Results)

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Hello Everyone! I am going on my 3rd year as the MN FPSP Evaluation Director and am looking forward to another exciting year.

Last year was a good year for us as an evaluation team. We had

Director of Evaluation’sNote(s)

by Adam Schoh

many new members that we were able to coach and train with our existing members. We are now up to 25 members. There can never be too many evaluators, so if anyone is interested please contact Cheryl or myself; we are always looking for individuals to share their new ideas and talents.

At the State Bowl last year, for the first time ever, we were able to achieve the goal of not only having Team packet winners announced, but also Individuals. This concern was brought to us by students, parents, and coaches. Thank you for your patience as we worked to achieve this goal. Please keep the ideas coming.

I have a few goals for MN FPSP for the upcoming year. Foremost, I would like to see every team continue to improve throughout the year in all aspects of FPS. Our evaluation team really enjoys this and knows that our feedback can help to contribute toward this. I would also like to see Minnesota become a state known for great FPS. In the past few years we have had some teams from Minnesota place in the International competition.

Our first step in achieving these goals we will be our annual evaluators training on October 25th, where we will continue to refine and improve our evaluations. Please let us know if you would like to attend to either get an idea of what we do or if you are interested in joining our team. We hope to give every team the feedback they need to succeed not only at Regions and State, but also at the International level.

I would like to see not only our teams improve in the three-point criteria system, but our evaluators, as well. We will be emphasizing this throughout the year. We will also be working to help teams in the early stages of the year to overcome obstacles in their Underlying Problems.

Coaches, please feel free to contact me via e-mail or phone with any questions or concerns that you may have. As much as the students like feedback, we evaluators do as well. My e-mail address is: scho0590@umn.edu and my phone # is 651-283-0692. Just like the students our team looks to get better as the years go on. Thank you for your work in making the MN FPSP such a great program, and good luck with the year!

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Following are excerpts from Caitlin’s final research paper for the College of Saint Scholastica.Caitlin is a life long FPSer, having been on teams in Cloquet from Elementary through High School. She was

also a part of our Minnesota team of evaluators. Caitlin is beginning law school this fall in Chicago at Depaul University and is looking to concentrate in Intellectual Property Law

With the implementation of the No Child Left Behind legislation, the United States has focused on standardized testing as the key indicator of school performance. Due to the focus on increasing test scores, the nation has turned a blind eye on gifted and talented programs.

Since No Child Left Behind focuses on standardized testing performance to judge school performance on a whole, increasing the number of gifted and talented students in the school would increase test scores. Since it is not possible to make someone gifted, the resources should be devoted to identifying and training the children who meet gifted and talented requirements but were not previously identified as gifted. Therefore, it would be productive for school administrators to apply more money to identifying and developing gifted and talented students. Especially when race is an issue, gifted and talented education proves more important than special education. When using all around state scores, per pupil expenditures, teacher to student ratio, number of economically disadvantaged students, and dropout rates are all more significant than gifted and talented. Dropout rates prove to have the biggest impact on test scores both in the times they prove significant and in coefficient size. Ironically, some research suggests identifying students who are gifted keeps them from growing bored with school and dropping out (Hardy 2003).

Gifted and talented programs aim to provide students, who excel, the opportunity to reach their full potential. The question is whether or not these programs improve the performance of schools.

To find the answer to this question and more, go to our website at www.mnfpsp.org and click on the “Research” tab to find Caitlin’s complete paper.

A Message From a FormerFPS Student

By Caitlin Kolb

“As President, I will work with our nation’s governors and educators to create and use assessments that can improve achievement all across America by including the kinds of research, scientific investigation and

problem-solving that our children will need to compete in a 21st century knowledge economy. The tests our children take should support learning not just accounting. If we really want our children to become the great

inventors and problem-solvers of tomorrow, our schools shouldn’t stifle innovation, they should let it thrive.”

From Obama’s “Our Kids, Our Future” speech – This is just a quote, not an endorsement.

Future Problem Solving Program International offers three competitive components for grades 4-12: Problem Solving about Global Issues, Community Problem Solving, and Scenario Writing. The program can also be integrated non-competitively into the curriculum areas of language arts, science, and social studies. Participation in the program strongly supports the development of these 21

st Century Skills:

21st Century Themes Through the study of a series of global issues, students increase their global

awareness and explore content related to business & economics, science &

technology, and society & politics. Students focus on what is happening in the world

today, as well as what might happen in the future.

Learning and Innovation Skills ¥ Creativity and Innovation – Students learn to look at situations from a variety of

perspectives. Creativity is essential as they generate challenges and develop

multiple ideas for solutions to pressing problems. Problem solving situations are

set in the future to encourage inventive thinking.

¥ Critical Thinking and Problem Solving – Students use analysis to gain an

understanding of issues in today’s world, and to understand the significant

aspects of complex situations set in the future. Problem solving skills are used as

they work through solutions and action plans for those situations.

¥ Communication and Collaboration – Students collaborate in teams while

learning about the issues and while applying their problem solving skills. Clear

and articulate communication is developed while working with a team, as well as

through writing that is submitted for evaluation.

Information, Media, and Technology Skills While studying the issues, students gather information from a wide variety of

information and media sources. With the help of a teacher/coach, they work on

evaluating and analyzing that information. Diverse perspectives are encouraged.

The goal of Future Problem Solving Program International is to teach students how to

think, not what to think!

Life and Career Skills Testimonials from former “FPSers” in multiple countries

confirm the value of the content and skills of FPS as tools

for lifelong learning. These skills have had an impact on

students’ college success, personal decision-making, and

work life.

Future Problem Solving Program International is a nonprofit, tax-exempt educational organization.

“Opening Doors to the Future”

http://www.mnfpsp.org/ http://www.fpspi.org/

Foster 21st Century Learning Skills

with Future Problem Solving

LEARN A PROBLEM

SOLVING PROCESS

¥ Identify challenges

¥ Determine an underlying

problem

¥ Produce solution ideas

¥ Develop criteria

¥ Apply criteria to solution

ideas to identify the best

solution

¥ Develop an action plan

RESEARCH & ANALYZE

GLOBAL ISSUES

(recent examples) ¥ Agriculture

¥ Alternative Energy

¥ Artificial Intelligence

¥ Climate Change

¥ Cultural Prejudice

¥ DNA Identification

¥ Entertainment

¥ E-commerce

¥ Environmental Law

¥ Freedom of Speech

¥ Healthcare Access

¥ Media Impact

¥ Nanotechnology

¥ Oceanic Species

¥ Sports Medicine

¥ Terrorism & Security

¥ World Communication

APPLY THE PROCESS TO

GLOBAL ISSUES through

team problem solving

EXTEND THE LEARNING

¥ Identify real issues and

implement real solutions in

school or community

through Community

Problem Solving

¥ Use creative imagination

to write stories focused on

global issues in the future through Scenario Writing

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Welcome to Leslie Hanson, our new board President! Leslie just retired from the Wayzata School District and is now working part time for the Intermediate District 287, directing the West Suburban Summer School. She has served on the MN FPSP board since 2004 and

has coached FPS for 8 years. Leslie is especially excited about leading us as we plan for Minnesota hosting the 2010 International Competition.

Leigh Campbell is our new President-Elect for 2008-2010. She has been involved in the Future Problem Program since fifth grade and has been a state evaluator since 1997. Leigh has served on the board since 2003 and was the first former FPS student to serve on the MN FPSP board. She is an Assistant

Fillmore County Attorney and lives in St. Charles, Minnesota, with her husband Nathan and her two future, Future Problem Solving daughters, Ashleigh and Eva. Leigh says, “I would like to see FPS in some permutation in every school in Minnesota.”

What ’s New?Due to the growth of the MN FPSP we are excited to announce that we will be having two new venues for our regional Competitions. In place of Armstrong High School, Leslie Hanson and Mary Crampton will be co-directing the Metro III competition at Wayzata Central Middle School. This will be held on February 14, 2009. In place of the Forest Lake Regional site, Metro IV, Mary Carlson Pap will be directing the competition at the Roseville Area Middle School on February 7, 2009. The North Regional at Cloquet Middle School will continue to be directed by Deb Peterson and the Metro II Regional will stay at Jackson Middle School with Cindy Palm directing that competition. Both of these competitions will be held on February 7, 2009. The Mid-State competition, hosted by St. Cloud and directed by Marilyn Stanley will be held by February 7th.

The good news is that we should avoid all of the spring breaks, allowing for more time to prepare for the state competition AND we will not conflict with other academic competitions. The bad news is that the early dates will give students less time to prepare for regional competition. We understand that February 14th may conflict with the President’s Day holiday but we hope that by getting the FPSP calendar out to our FPS families at the beginning of the year they will be able to accommodate for this.

Because of this, it has become increasingly difficult to give regional assignments early in the year. In order to get the best mix for competition I will be posting the assignments by November 15, 2008, so please be sure to get your team registrations in by the November first deadline.

Regional Assignments

MN FPSP Fast Facts

* The Future Problem Solving Program began in 1974.

* The Minnesota FPSP began in 1980.

* The MN FPSP is a non-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation.

* Research has proven that former FPSers are more confident in their ability to solve problems, think critically, and create a positive future.

* The FPSP meets standards for curriculum and instruction, language arts, social studies, science, the arts, math, geography, civics, technology, life skills and behavioral studies.

* The Future Problem Solving Program International involves over 250,000 students annually from Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Russia, and the United States.

* The World Future Society is an excellent resource for FPS. The latest issue has an article on scenarios and the past issues have some information on topics and general items of interest. All coaches should check it out! http://www.wfs.org/

Maybe kids aren’t getting all the right answers in the standardized tests of the No Child Left Behind vintage, but there are places where they are practicing the art of thinking at higher levels of their intellectual potential and loving it. The Future Problem Solving Program designed by Dr.

E. Paul Torrance in 1980 is engaging the higher order thinking minds of students and stimulating excitement for their learning and thinking all over the world. The program leads teams of students from fourth grade to seniors in High School through a series of steps that invite analytical, systemic, imaginative, critical, and visionary thinking. The final result is a recommendation for solutions of an assigned problem relevant to the future. Not only do they have the freedom to think about serious matters but they are enjoying the pleasure and satisfaction of having their creative ideas heard and respected.

The Future Problem Solving Program is conducted essentially by volunteers and teachers/coaches. A recent visit to the Minnesota 2008, Future Problem Solving Program Annual Competition directed by Cheryl Whitesitt, was a revelation. It was evident that the practice of structured, open-ended thinking in a classroom climate that respects a student’s right to express creative and critical ideas freely without the threat of immediate rejection helped to cultivate confidence and enthusiasm in students. An auditorium filled with kids, parents, coaches, and volunteers excited about serious problem-solving skills cheered with unbounded authority when trophies were awarded. The joy of young, bright, enthusiastic minds that are offered the freedom to think and be heard ----such an experience rekindles the confidence that all of society is hoping to feel for the future of the world.

Bee’s Blogby Dr. Bernice Bleedorn

It’s a new year, so it’s time for some new web technology (again)! We made it through the first year with some new web tech and not too many bugs.We’re still at http://www.mnfpsp.org, but when you go there, you may see something radically different than what used to be there. The look will be changing -- what’s there is pretty ugly and some have (rightly) expressed concern about readability. Don’t worry -- basic navigation should remain similar to the way it was last year.Content-wise, things are a little barren right now, but now that the newsletter is in your hands, I can turn my efforts towards filling in the old content and hopefully rolling out some new stuff as well. [I said this exact thing last year, too -- I hope it can be more true this year.]Basic navigation is still handled through the menus in the left-hand column, with one addition: the login form (which you can see at the bottom of the page).If you want to browse around the website, you don’t need to log in or do anything but click on the various links and menus. BUT, if you want to complete registrations and download the electronic versions of the documents, you’ll need to LOG IN to the website before you will be able to do so. All you have to do is REGISTER (see the graphic below) your name, a user name (which can be anything), an email address, and then a password of your choosing. Once you do that, you will be sent an email link to click on to activate your account. After you activate the account, you’ll be able to log in to the website and be able to download documentation, fill out registrations, and some other things in the future.We’re choosing to do things this way so that we can better keep track of who is downloading things from the website and ensuring that you ALWAYS have access to the documents that you need.If you have ANY questions about this process, please direct them to the webmaster, Nathan Duffy, at duffy@acm.org. He’ll be happy to answer any questions, comments, feedback, or criticism you have.NOTE: ALL users will need to re-register again this year. It’s a short procedure and the simplest in terms

of managing who can access what and when.

Oh, the Tangled Webs...

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The MN FPSP:1. Increased team registrations by ten, bringing us up to 207 teams

2. Served 1362 students, up from 1275 the previous year3. Assisted one classroom in providing the FPS process in their year-long curriculum

4. Two new districts competed in team competitions5. Year-long new coach mentoring improved

6. Funding Improved7. Laptops were used at the state competition for the first time

The MN FPSP would like to see:1. Team numbers increase from 207 to 225

2. Student participation numbers to reach 1500 students3. Continue to increase teaching critical and creative thinking skills in the classroom

4. Continued support for our new and experienced coaches5. Continued contact and follow-up with interested districts

6. Contacts established in at least five new districts7. An increase in contact with rural districts

8. Continued, year-round training for coaches 9. Continued training for our new evaluators as we build our evaluation team

10. More businesses committed to teaching problem solving skills11. Continued and sustainable funding

12. The MN FPSP better utilizing technology in order to save more on printing and postage; and to improve communication

Goals for the 2008-2009 Season

2007-2008 Accomplishments

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First, a humble and extra-special thanks to everyone who has given of their time, money, and other resources.

Gold Donors - $ 1,000.00 or more$10,000.00 – Anonymous $1,000.00 – IBM

Silver Donors - $500.00 - $999.00Piper Jaffray, Kohler, Wells Fargo, Tecumseh, Central Power Distributors

Bronze Donors – up to $499.00Blandan Foundation, Tierney Brothers, Adam Schoh, Joe Lefto, New Albin Savings Bank, Allen and Connie

Meiners, Don and Marilyn Wilke, Brian and Judy Doty, Dave and Debbie Giblin, Suzanne McCarthy, Thurman and Pat Tucker, Vernae Hasbargan, Sue Karp, Arlene Krueger, Carolyn Schmelzer, Claire Stephens, Cristine

Leavitt, Kathleen and Donald Ketola, Peggy Derrick, Emily Mach, Mary and Mike Long, Raj and Simmi Singh, Kathy Simson, Judy Daily, Pamela Lukens, Cheryl Whitesitt, Bob Andre, Kathy Okenson, Jennifer Reynolds, Eric Brun, Mike and Sandra Duffy, Ron and Juliann Nelson-Duffy, Kara Duffy, Jonathan Pikalek, Mike and

Nancy Gray, Bob and Pam Schultz, Sophia Wen, Sandra Smith, Hillary Grodevant, Rodney Tanner, Debbie and Casey Allen-Flom, Wendy Reiner, Sarah Lockwood, Allan Witz, Sandra Yue, Christina Arnt, Teresa Swanson,

Rose and Paul Weichert, Paul Anderson, and Deanna Steele

2007-2008 MN FPSP Supporters!

2008-2009 MN Future Problem Solving Calendar TRAINING DUE DATE (postmark) Coaches’ WorkshopsRoseville September 26, 2008 Beginner & Advanced (September 18, registration deadline)Richfield October 24, 2008 Beginner Only (October 16, registration deadline) For training opportunities within your district please contact cheryl@mnfpsp.org Evaluator’s Training 9 a.m.-2 p.m. October 25, 2008 (Contact the MN FPSP office for info and to register for evaluator training.)District Registrations Due November 1, 2008

TEAM PROBLEM SOLVING DUE DATE (postmark)Practice Problem #1 (Optional, but recommended) November 1, 2008 Topic: Olympic GamesTeam Registrations and Fees Due November 1, 2008 Practice Problem #2 December 5, 2008 Topic: Cyber ConflictPractice Problem #2 Evaluation December 12-13, 2008 Practice Problem #2 Mail Back (Includes Regional info) December 16, 2008 Regional Registrations Due January 15, 2009 (Required for competition. We will assume you are not competing if we do not receive a regional registration.)Regional Bowls North, South, Mid-state, M4 (Forest Lake) and M2 (Anoka) February 7, 2009 M3 (Wayzata) February 14, 2009 Watch for new regional assignments. TBA by mid-November Topic: Space Junk Regional Bowl Evaluation February 13, 14, 15, 2009 Regional Bowl Mail back February 17, 2009State Bowl Registration Forms Due March 6, 2009 State Bowl Fees Due March 31, 2009 State Bowl April 18, 2009 Topic: Counterfeit Economy International Conference May 28 – May 31, 2009 Topic: Pandemic Michigan State, Lansing, MI SCENARIO WRITING DUE DATE (postmark)Scenario Writing Year Long Due First submission December 1, 2008 Scenario Writing Competitive Round February 1, 2009 COMMUNITY PROBLEM SOLVING DUE DATE (postmark)CmPS Preliminary Report Due and Intent to submit for State December 15, 2008 CmPS Report and Addendum Due, State Competition Materials March 12 , 2009

Please note: There will be a $20.00 per team fee assessed for each late registration and/or late payment. The due date reflects the date due into the State Office.

ALL Registrations will be completed on the website: http://www.mnfpsp.org BOARD MEETINGS

International Conference 2010 Planning Meeting, 6:00pm October 24, 2008Board Meeting 2:15 – 4:00 p.m. October 25, 2008 Email Meeting February 9-13, 2009 MN FPSP Annual Board Meeting, 9am – 3:30pm June 20, 2009

Please visit our website for fee information. All registrations will be completed online. 10

I’d like to welcome back all of our returning school districts and welcome all new districts. As in the past, new districts will receive a break on their district registration fee. Please see our website for more information on district, workshop, team, and individual registrations and fees.

This fall we are planning on doing another email fundraiser. This was very successful last year and helped us to maintain registration fees and a healthy fund balance. If you are interested in supporting the MN FPSP financially and/or joining us in the fundraiser, please contact me at cheryl@mnfpsp.org.

I often receive questions about the “team registration fees.” We evaluate Practice Problem One (PP 1) as Freelance and charge $20.00 per team. On November first, the team and individual registration fees are due. These fees cover Practice Problem Two Evaluation and the Regional Competition. When you receive the score sheets and feedback from PP 2, you will also receive the regional information. At that time we require you to confirm the names of your team members to the state and regional director. This is called the regional registration and there are no further costs at that time. The cover sheets for PP 1 and PP 2 will be found in the district packet that you can access after your district has registered. If you are a beginning coach and/or team, you can opt to compete the first year or you might decide to submit all of your team packets for Freelance evaluation. Again, this costs $20.00 per team per evaluation. When your team qualifies for state you will again register your team names and pay a $100.00 per team registration fee.

Please take note that due to the early regional competitions, the team registrations are due a month earlier, November 1, and the PP 2 booklets are due earlier, December 5. The good news is that we will have the score sheets and Regional Registration information to you before the Christmas break.

I am thrilled to be involved with one of the healthiest FPS programs in the world. Each year we touch more students. Our board is active and engaged. We are extremely excited as we are already beginning to plan for hosting the 2010 International Conference. If you would like to be involved in this planning please contact me or Leslie Hanson at LAHanson@district287.org A year from now we will begin looking for hosts for our overseas friends.

For answers to program questions please email me at cheryl@mnfpsp.org or feel free to call me at 507-482-6867. For web questions please email Nathan Duffy at duffy@acm.org.

Note(s) from the Executive Directorby Cheryl Whitesitt

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Mary Crampton , Sheila Johnston, and John Telega are long-time FPSP coaches. Mary retired from being the full-time Gifted Coordinator in Eden Prairie, only to return, by popular demand, to coach the High School FPSers. Sheila has been respon-sible for starting FPS programs in more than one district. Her most recent district to bring on board is Richfield. John is a teacher, FPS coach, AND track and field coach. He shared that he hung out, watching the middle school FPS teams practice on different occasions. Those same students were frustrated to find that there was no coach in the high school. They asked John. I guess we all know what John’s answer was. All three of these people bring experience and energy to our board.

I first met Carl Pecinvosky when we took our daughter to Bible Camp. Carl grew up in the Cresco, Iowa, area so we would see his family once a year – at Bible Camp. Years later, my husband and I were invited to an Eagle Scout Court of Honor in Cresco and there was Carl. We chatted – Carl telling me about his work with IBM and me telling him about the FPSP. Carl judged orals during his first year of involvement and then decided that he would like to join our evaluation team. Not having been an FPS student or coach, Carl brings fresh new insights and vision to our board.

Jo Roberts emailed me this past spring. “Hello, I’m Jo Roberts. I grew up in Alaska and the FPSP was my lifeline. I have lived in the east and in Florida. I now live in the Twin Cities and my new job allows me the time to give back to the FPSP so that I can do my part in making sure that as many students learn these valuable problem solving skills as possible.” Jo was an FPSP student from elementary through high school and participated in more than one international competition. Not only is Jo a new member of the board, but she also plans on joining our evaluation team this fall. Jo brings the special kind of passion that only a former FPS student can bring.

Welcome Aboard New Boardmembers!