Odyssey of the Mind team earns New York State medal
Creative problem solving? Teamwork? Thoughtful reflection and redesign?
This year’s elementary Shockwave team needed it all when adversity struck the team one week prior to competition. A 5th grade team member, Dalton MacDonald (responsible for lifting the weights onto the platform), fell and broke his wrist in an accident. In true Odyssey spirit, a teammate came to the rescue, although with some apprehension. 4th grader, Tahseen Midani, three quarters the size of Dalton, knew the job would fall to him. Despite personal reluctance due to a pinched finger incident while lifting the weights in the past, he bravely accepted the job. He was even seen doing push-ups to strengthen himself prior to the competition.
The pay-off was worth it when the team added more than 200 lbs to the team built structure than at regional competition earlier this year, taking the bronze medal at the NYS Odyssey of the Mind competition this past weekend at Binghamton University. They also placed ahead of the first and second place team in spontaneous problem solving. The team also beefed up their style points by redoing props and costuming, and by synthesizing feedback from judges at regionals, to create a stronger presence.
The Teach Yer Creature team also performed well, with parents remarking that it was the best the team had performed their long-term solution. They ended up with a spontaneous problem that team members agreed was very hard. Overall, they placed 10th in a field of 17.
Congratulations to all participants, coaches, parents and the enrichment program for embodying the community/school partnership in education.
Elementary Enrichment Students win Gold in Regional Odyssey of the Mind Competition
The Odyssey of the Mind program’s mission is to foster original and creative thinking in the solution of divergent problems. This year, EGCSD sent five elementary teams to the competition on March 7th at Tamarack High School, to solve long-term problems including Earth Trek (design and build a small vehicle for four different team-determined environments) , The Lost Labor of Heracles (create an original performance that includes the ancient Greek hero), and Superstition (create and present a performance that includes two actual superstitions and an original superstition).
The students select the problem they want to solve. Mr. Greene, the district-wide enrichment teacher, then places them on blended teams of students throughout the district. Parent or teacher coaches work with the students for months to solve their long-term problems. They also work at school during enrichment class and with their teams on another component of the competition, the spontaneous problem.
Two teams won gold medals, qualifying for the state championships at Binghamton University on April 4th. Hunter Kortz (Green Meadow), Sarina Xin (Bell Top), Deena Mousa (Bell Top), Dalton MacDonald (Red Mill), Chris Hayes (Green Meadow), Tahseen Midani (Genet), and Aaron Clarke (Genet) won first place competing in the Shock Wave competition. Coached by parents Gary Kortz and Kai Xin, they designed and built a structure out of balsa and glue that balanced and supported as much weight as possible while absorbing shockwaves. Also winning gold was Avery Ball (Genet), Elliot Brock (DPS), Andy Graham (Green Meadow), Savannah Gregory (DPS), Gabrielle Daigneault (Bell Top), Elgin Scalzi (Red Mill), and Catherine Gagnon (Bell Top). Their problem, Teach Yer Creature, was to create and present a humorous performance that included a mechanical animal creature. Coaches were Bell Top parents Aaron Gagnon and Carolyn Daigeault.
Two teams also earned bronze medals. Students competing were Yvonne Gonzales (Genet,) Alex Bauer (DPS), Josh McCaffrey (DPS), Parth Bhide (Green Meadow), Stevie Lindermann (Genet), Cole Fahrenkopf (Green Meadow), and Heidi Quattrocchi (Red Mill.) Also, Alex Gaudino (Bell Top), Soren Correia (Bell Top), Matt Morash (Bell Top), and Erik Ferrari (Genet).
Many local newspapers and television stations reported the event. The Troy Record spoke with one district administrator. “One thing I notice after this event is that my students become more confident,” said Mary Wagner, principal of Green Meadows Elementary. “They become better at giving presentations or at just raising their hand more in class to add to discussions. They are able to take many points of views on a topic and turn it into a final product.”
Congratulations to all competitors, coaches, and the elementary enrichment program.
