On March 8, students from eastern Oklahoma showcased their creativity during the Odyssey of the Mind regional competition.
Owasso Seventh Grade Center and Ator Elementary hosted the tournament and were full of creative students who were hoping to show off their smarts in this important tournament. The winners will represent eastern Oklahoma at State and even the World Finals, which will be held in Maryland this year.
These students have worked hard to come up with solutions to one of these five mind-bending problems posed by Odyssey of the Mind:
Road Rally: Teams had to design and build life-sized vehicles that can play various sports and score points.
DinoStories: Teams had to write and perform humorous skits that give their own creative take on why dinosaurs became extinct.
Those Wonderful Muses: Teams studied Greek Muses and applied them to real-life heroes. They also demonstrated at least one of the Muse’s abilities in a performance.
Tee Structure: Teams designed a balsa wood structure that weighs no more than 15 paper clips and supports weights. These lightweight structures are known to hold over 1,000 pounds. The structured also had to balance golf balls as teams placed weights on top.
The Eccentrics: Teams solve real-life global problems all while proving that being different is a positive thing.
Students spent months of their free time solving these problems as well as developing teamwork skills, independent study, friendships, confidence and most importantly, thinking outside the box. They learned to utilize their strengths to solve the problems be constructing creative costumes, props, dances, gymnastics, instruments and more.
Not only do teams have to compete within their chosen problem, but they must also perform well in a “spontaneous problem,” where they solve a new problem on the spot. Teams must be creative and quick thinking.
Six teams from Owasso competed and all qualified for state competition in April, to be held at East Central University in Ada, Okla.
Owasso Elementary School competed in The Eccentrics and Those Wonderful Muses. Both teams placed first. Team members on The Eccentrics include Madison Davis, Baylee Duncan, Kaitlin Knight, Payton Phillips, Xavier Zelis and Bailey Cavanah; the team was coached by Charlene Duncan and Melissa Knight. Team members for Those Wonderful Muses include Corrie Burke, Miranda Ching, Logan Holey, Lindsey Pearce, Jackson Running and Shelby Simms; the team was coached by Fred Simms. All students are in the Gifted and Talented Program at Barnes Elementary, taught by Brenda Busby and Sharon Wills.
Owasso sixth grade had two teams compete in Road Rally and The Eccentrics. The Road Rally team placed first and included Erin Craig, Curtis Hallman, Valerie Hill, Logan Shreve, Michael Winans and Cole Young; the team was coached by Lynn Winans. The Eccentrics team placed third and included Collin Bourland, Andrea Castro, Sophia Gilstrap, Steven Margwarth, Kyle Morgan, A.J. Storer and Jessica Vaughan; the team was coached by Tracy Morgan.
Owasso seventh grade sent one team to compete in DinoStories which placed third in their division. The team included Mika Barnes, David Bruner, Alex Chitwood, Nicholas Holden, Blythe Lockhart, Brian Neldon and Erin Pearce; they were coached by Mike Meldon.
Owasso mid-high competed in DinoStories and won their division. Team members included Cynthia Aragon, Spencer Bruner, Sarah Eck, Marissa Fricke, Alex Rolseth, Becky Rolseth and Chris Taylor; they were coached by Bob and Marilyn Rolseth.
For more information on Odyssey of the Mind, visit www.odysseyofthemind.com
