Mahwah High School students win second place for Project Bear Aware at the Future Problem Solving International Conference

Students on stage with the 2nd place trophy at the Future Problem Solving International Conference, held June 4 to 8 at Indiana University. 

Project Bear Aware, created by students in the school’s Community Problem Solving (CmPS) course, is a plan to increase public awareness of bear safety and better prepare the public for a black bear encounter. The students qualified for the international-level competition after their project won first place in the senior division at the State Future Problem Solving Bowl in March. 

At the annual conference, MHS students competed against 19 other qualifying senior division projects from schools around the world. The projects were evaluated through the submission of a six-page written project proposal, an eight-page written project report, a public service announcement video, a 40-page visual portfolio, an interactive display and a 45-minute interview with a panel of judges. The students also displayed their work at the “Community Projects Fair” at the University. 

“Winning at the conference was extremely impressive, and I am very proud of the students and the work they did this school year. This is one of the highest awards this class has ever received at the competition,” said Justin Saptuski, CmPS teacher and coach. “The conference was an amazing networking opportunity for them. Above the competition, our kids got to meet and interact with students from across the country and world.” 

The conference brought together more than 2,000 champion problem solvers worldwide to compete alongside their peers. The Future Problem Solving organization, founded in 1974, stimulates critical and creative thinking skills and encourages students to develop a vision for the future. 

Students who participated in the CmPS project were sophomores Kent Chiyoma, Mary Eggers, Rithikka Eneyan, Katherine Jedynak, Davan Strommer and Albert Wen, and juniors Jeane Chun, Chiara Mirante and Vanessa Pavlou. 

As part of Project Bear Aware, sophomores Katherine Jedynak and Mary Eggers wrote and self-published a book, The Adventures of Bergen the Bear, which follows a young bear on his adventure to find mama bear. Throughout his journey, Bergen the Bear interacts with and teaches people how to become more “bear aware.” Sophomore Riley Kim illustrated the bear’s travels with bright, cheerful and educational drawings. The book can be purchased on Amazon, 

At the end of the cub’s story, the students list safety tips to remember in the event of a bear encounter – such as not running from a bear and not leaving garbage bins out. The book also features a QR code that takes readers to a Bergen Bundle lesson plan that provides more ways to teach children to be bear aware.  

The CmPS course is open to students in grades 10 through 12 who are in the school’s gifted and talented program. They identify problems, brainstorm solutions and develop an action plan to solve an issue that currently exists in their local, state or global community. 

For more about the Future Problem Solving organization, visit https://fpspi.org.