Odyssey of the Mind
Are you interested in getting your child involved with an
extracurricular club where they can build friendships, be creative,
develop problem-solving skills, and have fun at the same time? Then it
is time to register your child in Odyssey of the Mind!
Download the registration form here (PDF document)
What is Odyssey of the Mind?
There is no simple answer to this question.
Odyssey is complex. Odyssey is challenging, long, exciting,
academic, artistic, creative, sometimes frustrating, character
building, confidence building, team oriented, and lots of fun! But,
what is Odyssey? It is an international problem solving competition
that rewards students for creative thinking and teamwork. Thousands
of teams in grades Kindergarten through college are involved. Each
team consists of between five and seven members.
Each year the Odyssey of the Mind Association
produces six long-term problems. The problems are complex; often
they are four or five pages long. Children are given the opportunity
to preview the problems to decide which interests them the most.
Children in the primary division (K-2) are given a special problem
to work on. They solve their problem and present their solution to
an audience at the regional competition just like the other teams.
However, unlike the other divisions, they are not competitive and
therefore, are not judged.
Each team has at least one coach, but usually there are two coaches.
The role of the coach is to conduct meetings that will lead to the
solution of the problem. The coach may in no way offer suggestions
that will lead to the solution of the problem (nor may parents,
friends, neighbors, or anyone else.) The solution of the problem is
left entirely up to the members of the team.
Odyssey of the Mind is open to every child in the district from
grades K-12 who wishes to participate. The Odyssey of the Mind
program requires a great deal of dedication. Once teams are put
together they should decide their meeting schedule and let me know.
All the coaches are volunteers. Most are parents and sometimes
faculty members. There would be no Odyssey of the Mind without these
coaches. They do a great job!
For those who are interested and are new members, there is an
interest meeting on October 1, 2008 in the LGI room in the High
School at 6:30 p.m. You and your child will learn more about Odyssey
and get to try some sample spontaneous problems. If you are a
returning team, please attend the October 8, 2008 meeting in the LGI
room in the High School at 6:30 p.m. You will need to hand in all
registration forms for each member and then you will receive the
problems for this year.
Once a team is formed it is very important that everyone
participates and give 100% effort to their team. You have from
October through February 28, 2008 to complete your team
responsibilities. Mohonasen hosts the Regional Competition on that
Saturday, February 28, 2008 at our High School and Middle School.
There are usually a large amount of students who are interested, so
to accommodate as many students as I can, it is crucial for coaches
to volunteer as well. Coaches can be anyone over 18 years of age who
would like to help guide students to competition. Please fill out
the attached registration form and return it to your school office
by September 26, 2008. They will forward it to me, Miss Ranze, the
Odyssey of the Mind Coordinator, to my mailbox in Pinewood School.
You will receive a letter in mid-October letting you know if you
were placed on a team.
I hope to see you at one of the meetings. If you have any questions
or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me at 356-8430 ext.
6042 or email
lranze@mohonasen.org. Thank you again for your participation.
Find out more about Odyssey of the Mind at the
Capital Region BOCES Web site.
