Abby Reinke Elementary Students Take First Place in State Tournament

From Abby Reinke Elementary School PTA:

For the fourth year in a row, a team of students from Abby Reinke Elementary School in Temecula has won first place at the Odyssey of the Mind California State Championship, held on Saturday, April 2 at the University of California Riverside. The all-girl team competed against 24 other teams in their problem and age division from across the state and finished with the highest overall score. The top two winning teams from each division and problem will now go on to compete at the World Finals event at Iowa State University from Wednesday, May 25 through Saturday, May 28.

More than 800 teams from around the world will compete in the 37th Odyssey of the Mind World Finals; this event typically brings together over 10,000 people worldwide. The competition emphasizes creativity and teamwork and has grown into the largest international creative problem-solving competition worldwide. Millions of kids have been working hard all year perfecting their solutions and competing within their regions, states and countries. Only a few
advance to World Finals — these teams represent the best of the best creative minds.

Odyssey of the Mind is an internationally recognized program for elementary through college-age students. The program teaches students to learn problem solving skills in a trial and error process emphasizing creativity, imagination and “thinking outside the box.” This extracurricular program also focuses on teamwork and identifying and addressing challenges as they arise – skills that students will use throughout their lives.

What did these students have to do to win, you ask? They had to create and present a performance depicting problem-solving from the perspective of three different animals who help a stranger, help each other, and solve a problem that threatens the survival of all animals. Additionally, the team was tasked with creating and performing original dance choreography and writing an original song which they had to sing live to the judges and audience. Within the constraints of an 8-minute original skit, all written, choreographed and performed solely by the students and only the students, this team delivered a social message about anti-bullying: "You shouldn't judge people by their looks. Just imagine how boring the world would be if everybody was the same."

This all-girl winning team comprises seven students: Emelia Fernandez, Lauren Fu, Jada Magrini, Carly Noland (firth-graders), Gabrielle Fowler (fourth-grader), Camryn De Los Reyes and Mackenzie Farley (third-graders). Remarkably, this is the first time that these students have worked together on a competitive Odyssey team. In March, the team finished in third place at the Coastal Regional Tournament in Encinaitas, advancing to the State Championship at the
University of California Riverside. Walking into the California State Tournament as the "underdogs," this talented group of girls gave a stellar performance catapulting them to first place, bringing home the State Championship title for Abby Reinke Elementary School for a remarkable fourth year in a row!

With school budgets continuing to be tight, the team is currently fundraising and seeking sponsorship to raise the roughly $15,000 required to transport the team, coaches and their props to the Odyssey of the Mind's 37th World Finals. These girls, along with their coaches, are thrilled with their recent success and look forward to representing their school, the city of Temecula and the state of California. Further information is available through the Abby Reinke Elementary School PTA.