REACH students seek real world challenges

By Lori O'Brien

Correspondent

CHICOPEE Students eager for challenges have a unique program that introduces them to real world problems and asks for solutions.

The program is known as REACH Resources for Enrichment and Advancement in Chicopee and is designed for academically gifted students, according to Irene Czerwiec, REACH instructor at the Bellamy School.

"Students have to have a combination of above-average intelligence, creativity, and task commitment," said Czerwiec during an interview with Reminder Publications.

REACH students take part in the Future Problem-Solving Program that involves more than 250,000 students from around the world, according to Czerwiec.

"We work on open-ended, real-world topics that go beyond the regular curriculum," said Czerwiec.

Topics are determined by an international committee and change each year. During the school year, students studied climate change and climate threats, freedom of speech, nutrition and access to health care.

Czerwiec explained that the students use a six-step creative problem-solving process to identify challenges and a main problem. Next, students create solutions to the underlying problem, develop criteria to judge their solutions, rank their solutions and write a plan of action on how to implement the best solution.

"Community problem solving involves a small subgroup of the students who use their problem-solving skills to identify a problem in the community and take steps to try to solve the problem," said Czerwiec.

In April, seventh grade students at the Bellamy Middle School and Fairview Veterans Memorial Middle School competed in the Massachusetts Future Problem-Solving Program State Bowl at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and took second place in the middle division competition for its wetlands project.

Czerwiec added there is another component for REACH students Scenario Writing where students write futuristic stories based on one of the problem-solving topics of the year.

Competition recognition includes the "Scenario Writing School Champions": Grade 6, Jenna Lescell and Danielle Dobosz; Grade 7, Amy Lesperance and Ian McLean; Grade 8, Lauren Bellucci and Glen Consolmagno. Also, the Massachusetts Future Problem Solving Competition Team members were: Grade 8, Glen Consolmagno, Victoria Kleszczynski, Chelsea Picard and Cindy Zheng. Individual competitors were: Grade 6, Lisa Mindell; Grade 7, Donald Hedge, and Grade 8, Lauren Bellucci. In addition, state Future Problem-Solving Awards included: Junior Division Scenario Writing: first place, Jenna Lescell; second place, Danielle Dobosz, and Middle Division Scenario Writing, second place, Lauren Bellucci.

City residents interested in the work these students have done throughout the year are invited to an exhibition on May 25 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Bellamy Middle School which will showcase the individual studies accomplished.

Exhibit participants and their subjects of study include:

Grade 6: Michelle Deslauriers, Holocaust; Danielle Dobosz, Winter Olympics; Amanda Galat, Mushrooms; Jenna Lescell, ESP; Stephen Maziarz, Deep Sea Fish; Lisa Mindell, Roller Coasters; Kristin Mrozinski, Autism; Kristina Mullin, Turtles; Matthew Nichols, Whales; Jake Picard, History of Basketball; Haleigh Scott, Signs of the Zodiac; Daniel Roberts, Greek Mythology; Tatyana Sereda, Epidemics; Maggie Tzivanis, Gymnastics, and Gabrielle Voorhies, Berries.

Grade 7: Meghan Accorsi, Pizza; Michelle Amo, Mall of America; Katie Anyon, Softball; Daniel Bartley, Enron; Maxine Gerhard, Walt Disney; Timothy Goulette, Native Americans; Donald Hedge, Fort Knox; Amy Leclerc, Dogs; Ian McLean, History of Hockey; Michael Rogers, Dragons; Troy Senecal, Inner Planets; Zachary Sexton, Pearl Harbor; Kristin Veber, Competitive Swimming; Kayla Vincent, Mythical Creatures; Tiara Wright, Correctional Officers, and Richard Zheng, Captain John Smith.

Grade 8: Lauren Bellucci, Titanic; Tyler Chatham, Squirrels; Glen Consolmagno, Ice Hockey; Emily Corriveau, Coco Chanel; Ariana Figueroa, Wicked; Melody Kerigan, Jim Elliot & Corrie Ten Boom; Victoria Kleszczynski, Hip Hop; Samantha Mathieu, Leukemia; Chelsea Picard, Fashion Design; Dustin Raney, Ford Mustang; Gregory Sanocki, Skateboarding; Leigha Schmidt, Founding of Basketball; Megan Shafer, Freddie Mercury, and Cindy Zheng, Modeling.

Also, members of the "Wetland Extreme Teens" project will be present to discuss their initiative which focused on how the destruction of wetlands in the city has had a negative impact on the community. Students involved in the project include Amy Lesperance, Chelsea McDonnell, Allison O'Shea, Brianna Thresher, Jessica Avery, Emily Chute, Amber Legare and Sana Safeer. Czerwiec oversaw the group with Fairview teacher Dorothy Stachowicz.

During interviews with some of the students involved in the wetlands project there was one underlying theme from all how important it is for young people to get involved in their communities to try to make a difference.

For Jessica Avery, 13, she enjoys fact finding and making recommendations for positive change, while Amy Lesperance, 12, likes to think about the future and how she can make a difference. Sana Safeer, 13, also finds research interesting and coming up with solutions for problems. All agreed that the legwork they did will hopefully give the city leaders a better perspective of the city and what should be done now to stem the tide of future wetland violations.

Members of the Wetland Extreme Teens project will also present their findings at the International Future Problem-Solving Conference at Colorado State University at Fort Collins which is slated May 31-June 4. Students will present their project to an international group representing more than 40 states and several countries where they will be judged against the community projects from those areas.

"Besides the competition, they will have the opportunity to meet and network with students from across the United States, Australia and New Zealand," said Czerwiec.

For these community minded kids - it appears their reach is limitless.