Creativity was the name of the game last weekend at Mount Vernon High School. Students from over 40 different schools came together to compete in the Nova East Odyssey of the Mind competitions.
Started more than 20 years ago by Dr. Sam Micklus, professor at Rowan University in New Jersey, Odyssey competitions teach students to learn creative problem-solving methods while working on open-ended problems.
Students are assigned adult coaches who are there to help with the process, but not to give them ideas. This is a hard task, according to some coaches, and sometimes not able to be followed. In cases where adults have provided assistance, they need to complete an outside assistance form and then points are deducted from the team's final score. Points are also deducted for a myriad of other reasons, like not completing the problem; vehicles not functioning; not meeting requirements; among others.
STRATFORD LANDING ELEMENTARY was the school with the highest participation, represented by 11 teams in two different divisions.
One of those teams was coached by Sandra Berry. On the team were: Ian Berry, Michael Curcio, Joe Latta, Ari Lindenbaum, Cathy Vinogradoff, and Aaron and Alese Zeman. The teams started meeting in November. Their first task was to select the problem they wanted to work on. Problems available to division I were: A Scene From Above; Classics - Put a Spin on It; Odd Pod Structure; and Fooled Ya! Each problem had its own set of problems which the students had to solve.
The team named above chose A Scene From Above. This team's problem required the design, building and running of three small vehicles to transport items from an orbit area to an assembly station. The vehicles had to be powered in different ways. In addition, one vehicle carried its energy source while the other two vehicles traveled on the momentum caused by different energy sources.
The transported items then had to be added to a three-dimensional representation of a scene of the Earth as viewed from space. As the items were added the scene changed. The problem stated that the scene could be real or imaginary and could be zoomed in to any degree. The team also had to present a humorous performance about the scene and its changes.
THE GROUP FROM Stratford Landing started meeting once a week but as it came closer to the competition, the team started meeting two to three times a week. They met at different places, including the home of the coach; the home of one of the team members and at St. Aidan's Episcopal Church. Coaches could ask questions to help team members think about solutions, but they were not allowed to make suggestions. Even when the solution was obvious, they had to bite their tongue and let the students figure it out.
In addition to the commitment made by coaches and their teams in preparation for the event, there was another group of volunteers who gave their time the day of the competition. More than 100 people spent the day judging, staging, selling refreshments and coordinating the events.
Aimee Woodall, Lucinda Pearson, and Leslie Burket were style judges for Division 1B of the Fooled Ya! Problem. Every team selects four items (scenery, acting, props, etc.) which they want to be judged on for style. It was up to the three women to determine how many points each team would get for style.
"They've all been pretty creative," said Woodall, of the students who was judging for her second year.
In the audience was Elsbeth Wheeler, former school teacher. She was there to watch her granddaughter, Lyndsey Wheeler, who was on one of the winning teams from Stratford Landing participating in Division IA Fooled Ya! Wheeler had spent the morning at Riverside Elementary, judging another group of students competing there in Odyssey. The problem she judged was a music one. Children had to compose an original song that taught a lesson as well as create an instrument.
"It was fun to watch," said Wheeler, "but I wanted to keep telling them to speak out."
COMPETITIONS CONTINUED most of the day and then volunteers spent time cleaning up and preparing for the evening's award ceremonies. First, second and third-place awards were given in each division for each problem, as well as a special sportsmanship award. Shrieks of delight could be heard as the various schools were announced, and the winners ran down to the stage to receive their awards. Winning schools included: Thomas Jefferson Elementary; Springfield Estates; Nottingham Elementary; Belle View Elementary; Stratford Landing Elementary; William Halley Elementary; Belvedere Elementary; Westridge Elementary; Ashlawn Elementary; Mantua Elementary; Clermont Elementary; Bailey's Elementary School for Arts and Sciences; and St. Mary's Catholic School.