Pomperaug Elementary School Students Score High in Odyssey

 Five teams from Pomperaug Elementary School competed, along with more than 1,100 students from 159 teams, in the Connecticut Odyssey of the Mind competition held at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven on March 24. All the PES teams preformed extremely well, with one team tieing for first place in their category and division, earning an invitation to the World Finals.

 Odyssey of the Mind (OM) is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college. Through solving open-ended problems, students develop creative-thinking skills that can be applied to real-life situations.

 At the beginning of the school year, each team chose one of six long-term problems to solve. (The problems are designed by the international OM organization to appeal to a wide range of interests; some are technical in nature, while others are artistic or performance-oriented.) Under the guidance of adult coaches, the teams worked on their problems throughout the school year before presenting their solutions in this statewide competition. In addition to being scored for the elaboration of their long-term problem solution, the teams were judged on how well they solved a “spontaneous” problem on the spot.

 PES teams’ imaginative long-term performances scored high marks with the event’s judges.  One-fourth grade team tied for first out of thirteen teams overall in their problem category, “I’m Only Thinking of You,” which tackled the problem of overcoming a selfish person’s deceptions. Because of their win, the team is going to compete at the world finals in May at Michigan State University. This inventive team, comprised of Claire D., Kelly D., Josephine E., Tanner N., Annie S., and Sarah S., was coached by mother and daughter team, Betsy and Kristen Scheuermann. 

Two other PES teams tackled the problem, “Around the World in 8 Minutes,” in which a pair of characters had to visit three locations, two real and one imaginary. The fourth grade team of Catherine C., Kimberly D., Bridget D., Morgan J., Hannah O’B., Melissa R. and Jessica R., and coached by Greg Dorsey and Debbie Rosenthal, finished eighth overall in their division out of thirty-four teams and third in their long-term problem. The third grade team was close on their heels, finishing tenth overall and fourth in this long-term problem. The third grade team included second graders Lia A., Alex D., Erin D., Nick L., Cara L., and Kaleigh S.. They were mentored by parents Paula and Rick Daskam.

 Two teams of Kindergartens through second graders staged fantastic “Time Capsule” performances showing creative ways aliens might view various everyday items in the “primary” (non-competitive) division. Second grade teammates Andrew B., Jason K., Daniel K., Nelson P., Laura S., and Joseph S. were coached by parents Lisa Colville-King and Marge Skinger, while kindergarten and first graders Lauren B., Kylie C., Terrill D., Nina K., Lewis L., Siobhan L. and Conner S. were coached by parents Eileen Studdert and Christine Koobatian.

 In the six months spent preparing for the competition, every idea, design and prop was produced solely by the students. Through taking control of the creative process, brainstorming and role-playing, these children develop skills that will last a lifetime. The children learned to cooperate, evaluate and respect others ideas and make independent decisions, gaining increased self-confidence and self-esteem along the way. And they learned that there’s more than one way to solve a problem.

 For more information on Odyssey of the Mind, visit www.odysseyofthemind.com and www.ctom.org.