BC News

Slingerlands Odyssey of the Mind team brings first-place trophy to BC!
Release Date: March 4, 2008

In a regional Odyssey of the Mind competition on Saturday, March 1, the Slingerlands team captured first place for their problem-solving prowess.

Their winning skit combined elements of dramatic performance, humor, critical thinking skills, teamwork and scientific inquiry. The team consists of fourth graders Emily Bouton, Selin Gumustop, Jamie Humphrey, Ben Licht, Fiona Nugent, Julia Nugent and Nora Sheehan.

Odyssey of the Mind emphasizes creative problem solving and teamwork, as students work together to approach a problem in a unique way and then demonstrate their answer in a skit.

For the “Long Term Problem” (the first of the two-part competition), the team of seven Slingerlands fourth graders chose to compete in Problem #5, “The Eccentrics.” This problem asked them to “create and present a humorous performance about three eccentric characters that demonstrate odd behavior, peculiar mannerisms, and unconventional dress. The performance will include a team-created ‘problem’ within, or involving an Earth system – the atmosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, geoshpere or hydrosphere. The Eccentric Characters, which will seem to be misfits, will solve the problem. As a reward a celebration is held in their honor and they end up launching a new fad.”

Responding to the pre-selected problem is one of two elements of Odyssey of the Mind scoring. On the day of the competition, students must also answer a “spontaneous” problem posted by the judges without knowing beforehand what problem will be posed. Similar to the first, “long-term problem,” students work together and the emphasis is on creative problem solving.

Congratulations to the Slingerlands Odyssey of the Mind team for their accomplishment!

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