For two M-W teams, their odyssey leads to Maryland

Central Valley — Two of Monroe-Woodbury School District’s three Odyssey of the Mind teams are headed for 2008 World Finals at the University of Maryland in College Park this coming May 31 through June 3. The two teams will be joined by students as nearby as New Jersey and as far away as China. Odyssey of the Mind, an international competition, emphasizes ingenuity and teamwork. Over the past six months, more than 130 Monroe-Woodbury students have participated in this season’s problem-solving event. In late February they competed at the regional competition in Goshen, along with hundreds of students from 18 area school districts. Three of the district’s 19 teams won first-place rankings at the regional competition and advanced to the state tournament that was held this past weekend in Binghamton. The North Main Street School’s elementary team attacked the “Eccentrics” problem. This required teams to create and present a humorous performance about three eccentric characters who demonstrate odd behavior, peculiar mannerisms and unconventional dress. The performance needed to include a team-created “problem” within or involving an Earth system - the atmosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, geosphere or hydrosphere. At the regional competition North Main tied for first place. During March, they were able to make improvements, but could not exceed their spending limit of $125. The North Main team’s improvements enabled them to earn near perfect scores at the state tournament. The Monroe-Woodbury High School team performed equally well. The team, made up of two seniors, one sophomore and three freshmen, participated in the “DinoStories” problem, which asked: What might have happened to the dinosaurs that existed so many years ago? In a humorous delivery, teams needed to present their original theory of what caused the dinosaurs to become extinct. The performance needed to include a dinosaur, a replica of the same dinosaur, an animal that is not a dinosaur, and a technical simulation of the team’s “extinction theory.” Students were required to perform at least part of the setting in the Triassic, Jurassic, or Cretaceous time periods, and their spending was limited to $145. The High School team presented so well at the state tournament that, in addition to winning first place with near perfect scores, they won the Ranatra Fusca award for creative spirit as well. According to the Odyssey of the Mind program guide: “The Ranatra Fusca Creativity Award represents the essence of the Odyssey of the Mind. It is presented to teams or individuals who exhibit exceptional creativity, either through some aspect of their problem solution, or an extraordinary idea beyond the problem solution. A successful problem solution is not a criterion for winning the award; rather, the award is a way to acknowledge and encourage creative thinking and risk-taking.” Members of the high school team are Brian Flannery, Jillian Mazzola, Alden Burke, Devon Colligan, Dennis Dunne, Nicole Hoss and Christine Somers. Their coaches are Jo Anna Orkoulas and Joann Mazzola. As assistant superintendent for Instruction, Carole O’Neill noted: “The children that competed were incredible. What I witnessed on Saturday was amazing. Our North Main team not only solved the problem they were given, they ‘wowed’ the audience with their creativity and amazing sense of humor. “The Middle School team was equally creative,” she added, “and I was duly impressed at how cleverly they operated their car for the Road Rally event.” O’Neill could not help sharing her pride in describing the achievements of these young people: “By far, our High School team showed the rest of New York State what creative minds can do, as they received a standing ovation from the audience when they were done - I cannot tell you the pride I felt at being associated with them.” This article was provided by Debra Garling, the Monroe-Woodbury School District’s OM coordinator, and School Board member and Souza Scholarship chairman Bob Curtis.