Staff report

Johnson Central High School and Johnson County Middle School dominated competition at the 2012 International Future Problem Solving Conference last weekend, with both schools winning first-place honors in their respective divisions.

Students from 13 countries and more than 40 states were on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington to examine a future scene about the global status of women.

After months of study on the topic, students applied their knowledge to a scene set in 2045 after the United States had ratified the Convention for Eliminating Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). The students had to identify barriers preventing women from achieving equality in society.

The JCHS future problem solving team, coached by Brenda Porter and Debbie Lemaster, took first place in the senior division. Team members were Kathryn Branham, Jenna Slone, Michael Hamilton and Jake Halsey.

"These students felt that the female voice had continued to be suppressed and because of this, the underlying problem was decreasing the impact of cultural stigmas against women so that they achieve their desired roles in society," a press release said.

The JCMS team, coached by Pam Burton, won first place in the junior division. Team members were Dalton Oney, Nini Lam, Emily Adkins and Leah Blair.

"These students felt that since many women were unable to achieve their impossible dream, they identified the underlying problem as one of facilitating economic opportunities for women globally so that they could achieve a more prestigious status in the future society," the release said.

The release added that both teams "received glowing commendations on their abilities to identify crucial problems for women in the future as well as to generate possible solutions to correct these problems."

In addition, JCHS student Matt O'Bryan finished first in the Multi-Affiliate Global Issues Competition (MAGIC), and Summer Daso finished second in the individual problem solving competition.

JCHS alternate Gabe Fitch and JCMS alternates Carlie Reed and Justin Smith as well as Rachel Branham aided their teams in preparing for the competition.

Also during the international competition, Paintsville Elementary finished fourth in their respective division, while W.R. Castle, Meade Memorial and Central elementary schools had students who participated in the competition.

The teams qualified for the international contest as a result of their success at the Kentucky Governor's Cup.