Briggs Odyssey teams earn place at World Finals           

 

Their first time in competition earned 20 studentsat Briggs Elementary  the right to compete in The Odyssey of the Mind World Finals in Baltimore, Md., this May.   Three teams from Briggs competed at South Carolina's The Odyssey of the Mind 29th Annual Tournament in Columbia  on March 19 and all walked away with tickets to the World Finals. None of these students had ever competed in an Odyssey of the Mind competition before. The Odyssey of the Mind (OM) is a worldwide creativity festival. Participants were given long term, open-ended problems to solve with team members. Adult coaches supervise, but students come up with solutions by their own teamwork. The purpose is to provide opportunities for students to develop creative problem-solving skills in a positive atmosphere with quality sportsmanship exhibited by everyone involved at all levels of competition.   The three teams and six adult coaches participated in the competition held at the W.J. Keenan High School in Columbia. They competed against other teams who brought solutions to the same problem. The Extreme Mousemobile team was asked to create a vehicle powered by a mouse trap to perform to meet some restricted requirements. Team members are David Russell, Chelsea Grinsley, Justin Hedges, Nicholas Jacobs, Nathan Scarbrough, and Kiyan Gibson Coaches are Pam Jacob and Karen Russell.  The As Good as Goldburg team was supposed to make a simple task in a very complicated way. Team members are Arlene Hernandez, Olivia Stewart, Alice Lee, Brandon Bryant, Phillip Jeffcoat, Zaire Foreman and Townsend Moore Liz Moore and Russell Stewart are coaches. Amy Rhode was the spontaneous coach.	BRIGGS STUDENTS TAKE FIRST PLACE AT    THE ODYSSEY OF THE MIND STATE CONTEST
	Sarah Park            Gowoon Choi Sarah Park            Gowoon Choi

 Coordinators Gowoon Choi and Liz Moore brought the program to Briggs Elementary and are looking forward to offering this fun educational experience to other students next year.

"Everyone has their own ability and creativity to be bloomed," said Choi. "They just need the right time and right environment. I believe OM is the great tool to help to bloom together in a team."

Briggs principal Marty Schmidt congratulated each child upon their return to school.

"We're all very proud of the parent-driven "Odyssey of the Mind" initiative that developed at our school this year. The collaboration of parents, friends and staff members is extremely powerful. These forces meshing together provided a very rewarding enrichment experience for our students."

The teams made their own product, skit and props and now they are ready to go to the Odyssey of the Mind? 2011 World Finals to be conducted at University of Maryland, May 27-30. Students from 26 countries are expected to compete in the World Finals.