Oradell Public School’s Odyssey of the Mind Team Qualifies for World Championship

In March, Oradell Public School sent two teams to the Liberty Regional Odyssey of the Mind Tournament in Somerset, N.J.--ARTchitecture: The Musical and The Pet Project. Both teams qualified for the State Tournament in Ewing, N.J. 

Odyssey of the Mind is an international program that provides students the opportunity to develop problem-solving skills while also learning how to effectively work in a team. Students learn how to think divergently while solving the challenges of a presented problem. 

The “ARTchitecture: The Musical” team was required to create and present a performance that included a replica of a documented architectural structure built between 1,000 AD and 1,600 AD. The performance needed to include three works of art that disappeared and two characters that went on a quest to find them. The OPS team placed third at the regional tournament and fifth at the state tournament. 

OPS’s second team, The Pet Project, was challenged to design, build and run three vehicles that could deliver parts of a pet animal. Once the animal was assembled, it needed to perform a trick. The Pet Project Team placed second at the state tournament and qualified for the Odyssey of the Mind World Championships at Michigan State University at the end of May. The World Championships will have teams competing from many states and countries.

The Odyssey of the Mind program has its roots in New Jersey. Sam Micklus, PhD, was an Industrial Design professor at Rowan University when he challenged students to think creatively by asking them to create vehicles without wheels, mechanical pie throwers, etc. He evaluated his students not on the success of their solutions but on the creativity they applied. 

As news of Dr. Micklus’ approach spread, public interest grew and as a result, the Odyssey of the Mind program was born in 1979. 

The program’s emphasis on collaboration and teamwork was not lost on the OPS team at the state tournament. In addition to placing second in their division, OPS’s Pet Project Team was also awarded one of two OMER awards for exhibiting high levels of sportsmanship during the event. The team is coached by OPS’s Gifted and Talented teacher, Traci Killeen, with the assistance of OPS librarian, Jen Kasyan.

For more information about Odyssey of the Mind at OPS, contact Assistant Principal Megan Bozios or OPS’s Odyssey of the Mind Coaches Traci Killeeen or Jen Kasyan.

Click here for more information on Odyssey of the Mind.

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