DHS’s Future Problem Solvers are State Champions, More Competition Ahead

The Future Problem Solvers team at Danville High School was recently named best in the state of Illinois.  To win this year’s competition, they had to identify a problem, come up with a plan, and execute it showing progress along the way.  Two team members explained their projects before the District 118 School Board Wednesday night.  And as DHS student Isaiah Easton told us afterwards, they wanted to work on some special projects for Veterans.

AUDIO: We found that the mental health effects from COVID on Veterans were really horrible for them, especially since they already have PTSD and other related mental illnesses.  We just thought it would be very good if they could go out and sit and talk with each other in a public space like a walk through garden.

Part of that walk-through garden they’re putting together at American Legion Post 210 will include a special burn pit for flag retirement, where old American Flags can be ceremoniously disposed of in the proper way.

Cici Brown talked about another part of the DHS Future Problem Solvers’ contribution to Veterans, at the Mercy Housing Center’s Cannon Place by Illiana Health Care.

AUDIO: So what we want to do is bring them a garden.  A lot of the Veterans out there suffer from disabilities or mental illnesses and they’re just looking for an outlet, a community to share.  And so we went to their Community Room and created the coffee bar, and as well we’re going to create a garden out there for them to plant tomato seeds and to grill out of, and all kinds of fun stuff for them to do.  So we’re excited to be doing that.

Faculty Advisor Lori Woods, from the DHS Social Studies Department, says the students showed their plan to the state and won.  Now it’s off to Massachusetts to compete at the next level.

AUDIO: We’ll represent Illinois at the International Finals; which is most of the United States and then places like Australia, South Korea, New Zealand, England…..  We have prejudging, and then when we get there they’ll have a display booth to put up and an interview.  So there’s lots of components there.  And then we see  how we do compared to the rest of the world.

Eleven members altogether on the DHS Future Problem Solvers Team.  They’ll be leaving June 6^th for the competition.

Two other notes from Wednesday’s District 118 Board meeting.  First, in a continuing effort to assist families with all the financial challenges COVID brought upon everyone, all general registration fees have been suspended for the 2022-2023 school year.  Also, the full-year English Learner Class that assists students learning English as a second language can now be used as credit towards the four years of English Department classes that students need to graduate.