Windham Primary School’s (WPS) second through fifth grade students competed in the Odyssey of the Mind regional meet a week ago on March 25 in Auburn. Three of the four Division I students placed and will compete at the state level on Saturday, April 1 at the Biddeford High School in Biddeford. Two WPS Primary division teams also competed at the non-competitive portion of the tournament.
“Odyssey
of the Mind (OM) is a creative problem-solving competition for students of all
ages,” stated Linda Berry, Enrichment/Academic Support Coach for RSU14. “Teams
of students select a problem, create a solution, and then present their
solution in a competition against other teams in the same problem and
division. Groups of students are placed on teams of up to seven students
(with one or two coaches), typically meeting weekly throughout the OM season.”
Windham
Primary School began to participate in OM five years ago when Dr. Kyle Rhoads,
WPS principal, wanted to offer the experience to the students. Berry began to
coordinate the program at that point. “We have more students participating
every year,” Berry said. “This year we had roughly 40 students
participating in the program.”
Fulfilling
the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), Common Core and 21st
Century Skills Initiatives, OM fosters critical and creative thinking in - “An
environment where there is no right or wrong, no grades, no standardized
tests.” www.meodyssey.org. Instead, students are introduced to creative
problem solving in tangible ways.
“Odyssey
of the Mind aligns directly with the current district Strategic Plan,
specifically around innovative practices and creative problem solving,” Rhoads
said. “Importantly, our students learn lifelong skills and have loads of fun!”
The
team of students and coaches, who begin to meet in late/fall early winter,
select which of the five long-term problems they wish to solve. “The specific
problem changes every year, although there is always one in each of five
categories that include: Vehicle, Technical/Performance, Classics, Structure and
Theatrical,” Berry explained.
All
coaches are volunteers and contribute to the success of the students and their
participation in OM. “We truly need community support to operate successful
teams,” Rhoads explained. “Teams are coached by volunteers and at times
need to do some fundraising to buy supplies for their problem.”
All
the hard work and fundraiser efforts have paid off as the three teams in
Division I prepare for their competition this weekend.
“Good
luck to our teams on Saturday,” Rhoads said, cheering
on the team. “I know they will make us proud!
For
more information about Odyssey of the Mind visit: www.meodyssey.org. To donate
supplies or help to raise funds for the WPS teams contact Dr. Kyle Rhoads at: krhoads@windhamraymondschools.org
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