60 teams representing 17 school districts from across Cattaraugus, Allegany, and Steuben Counties will compete in the annual Region 19 Odyssey of the Mind Tournament on March 10, 2007 at Wellsville Central School, Wellsville, NY. The regional tournament is sponsored annually by Cattaraugus-Allegany BOCES under the directorship of Lynne Yehl, Program Manager. This competition is the first step in determining which teams will represent New York State at the Odyssey of the Mind 2007 World Finals later this spring. Winning teams at each division level for the five long-term problems will advance to the NYS Odyssey of the Mind Tournament on March 31st in Binghamton, NY.
Odysseys of the Mind helps students of all ages exercise the skills of critical thinking, collaborative teamwork, and good sportsmanship – all while having fun. The competing teams and their coaches spend many long hours brainstorming and experimenting with ideas to prepare their own unique responses to a variety of problems. Teams also compete in a Spontaneous Problem situation at the tournament. In the Odyssey competition, teams have 8 minutes to present a solution to their selected problem and are judged on their innovation, originality, and ability to meet the problem’s specific requirements. Teams compete in their same age group at the Division I elementary level, the Division II middle school level, and the Division III high school levels.
This year’s problems are:
Tag’Em, the vehicle problem. Teams will design, build, and propel 1-3 vehicles that will make trips within a Tagging Zone to accumulate points.
The Large and Small of It, the invention problem. Teams must create a performance that integrates small and large versions of pages that change appearance and serve as the sets for the original performance.
Around the World in 8 Minutes, the “classics” problem. This problem asks teams to create a character that travels around world, stopping at three different locations along the way.
Out of the Box Balsa, the structure problem. Competitors will a construct balsa wood structure that supports hundreds of pounds of added weight and whose pieces fits inside a small box.
Students in grades 1-2 can create a skit about a group of explorers that find a time capsule filled with usual items designed and made by the team. Teams at the primary level are not eligible to compete at the State level but the enthusiasm and creativity that they demonstrate in their presentations ensure that Odyssey of the Mind will continue in this area for many years to come.
We hope you can come to be a part of the excitement of the Odyssey tournament. Admission is free so we’ll look for you on March 10th in Wellsville!
Dr. Susan McMillen has been involved in numerous projects that focus on improving student achievement in mathematics. Her passion as a teacher leader centers on her use of technology and manipulatives with a goal of teaching math for understanding. She was the principle investigator and project leader for IMARS (Improving Mathematics Achievement in Rural Schools) which involved several of our districts. She was a past editor for NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) journal, and a project director for I2T2 (Involving students in Inquiry-based activities using a variety of Technologies and other Tools). She was the primary teacher-leader for the CA BOCES Curriculum Camp Math Cohort this past August, where she worked with 35 math teachers in grades 3-12 along with staff specialists from the CA BOCES Instructional Support Services division.
