Daniel Boone Odyssey of the Mind Middle School team comprised of David Eurillo, Zoe Thompson, Emma Brown, Rachel Woomer, and Taylor Eisenhuth, and coached by parents Steph Woomer and Fran Thompson advanced to the World Odyssey of the Mind while competing at the PA Odyssey of the Mind competition in Berwick on Saturday, April 11.
The World Competition will be held May 20-23 at the University of Michigan.
Odyssey of the Mind is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college. Team members apply their creativity to solve problems that range from building mechanical devices to presenting their own interpretation of literary classics. They then bring their solutions to competition on the local, state, and World level. Thousands of teams from throughout the U.S. and from about 25 other countries participate in the program.
The Daniel Boone team first competed at Millersville University at the Regional level in March and advanced to the State level. At the State level, 12 PA middle school teams competed in their classics problem, “Pandora’s Box.” In this classics problem, teams put a video game spin on the story of Pandora’s Box.
The PA State Competition, hosted by Berwick School District, invited approximately 175 teams from PA elementary, middle, and high schools, numbering about 1200 competing students, plus coaches, judges, family and friends, plus a myriad of volunteers.
Each team competed in two problem-solving categories, the long-term problem in which the team created and performed a skit to solve an open-ended problem created by Odyssey of the Mind and a new spontaneous problem. For their solution to the long-term problem the students wrote the solution to the problem in skit form, created scenery, costumes, sound effects, and presented their skit. This process was begun near the beginning of the 2014-2015 school year. Additionally, each team was required to participate in a spontaneous problem-solving situation. The students were given a problem and then given a minute or two to think, and then approximately 4-6 minutes to respond. This may be a verbal or a hands-on problem.
This is the third time this team of Daniel Boone students has achieved the honor of advancing to the World Competition. In fifth and seventh grades, the team was comprised of 7 students. This year, the team has five of the original students and the same two coaches.
A high school team coached by Wendy Sweet and comprised of Gabby Dodson, Kim Purretta, Abbey Unger, Ginia Higgins, Ella Sweet, and Carly Dietz also advanced from the Regional Competition to the State Competition, demonstrating strong motivation, persistence, teamwork, and a rich variety of skills.
These eleven students and all additional 60 students plus coaches and judges who have been involved with the 2014-2015 Daniel Boone Odyssey of the Mind program are a high tribute to Daniel Boone, their community, families, and themselves.
Congratulations to all Daniel Boone Odyssey of the Mind students, and to Coaches Mrs. Woomer and Mrs. Thompson, and their World competing team.
