Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, July 8, 1993 TAG: 9307080363
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: E-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY WALKER SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
In some categories, Roanoke Valley teams placed as high as second or third in the world.
Odyssey of the Mind, or OM, is billed as the largest educational competition in the world. Sponsored by IBM, the competition is designed to foster creativity and problem-solving skills among students from kindergarten through college.
The World Finals, held June 3-5 in College Park, Md., drew more than 700 teams from 20 countries and 50 states. Virginia sent 13 teams, four of them from the Roanoke Valley.
The team from Glen Cove Elementary School in Roanoke County consisted of fourth-grader Richard Hardy and fifth-graders Brian Conlan, Kim Light, Ryan Curfiss, Ian Conner, Jamie Shawn and Tara Clark.
The Salem Gifted/Talented Program at G.W. Carver Elementary sent fifth-graders Matthew McLeod, Andy Tate and Loyd Padgett, plus fourth-graders Meris Powers, Jeanie Bennett and Patrick Alcoke.
Stonewall Jackson Middle School in Roanoke sent seventh-grader Nghia Nguyen and eighth-graders Jason Bradford, John Clemmer, Tammy Craddock, Teri Mullins, Laura Paige and Paige Zimmerman.
The Lord Botetourt High School team consisted of seniors Dan Sell, Chris Perrin, Pete Cleveland, Angie Giles, Nancy Kirk, Jeremy Shields and Tim Gordon.
Teams must have five to seven students. There are four grade divisions: K-5, 6-8, 9-12 and college or military. Schools may hold tryouts each year, keep the same team together from year to year or organize several teams.
Each year's OM competition begins in the fall, when OM issues five challenges, or problems. Each team chooses one problem.
George Seymour, music teacher and coach of the Glen Cove team, described the problem his students chose. "They said you have to create a folk tale and that folk tale has to represent something that is already in existence. It is sort of like a myth.
"The coaches cannot tell them what to do. Once they come up with an idea, they have to do research. They decided to do a folk tale on why there was night and day."
The students were required to write and produce an eight-minute skit that included elements of science as well as mythology. Students investigated such diverse scientific topics as photosynthesis and black holes. "We figured it took one month to produce 1 1/2 minutes of that play," Seymour said.
In the students' play, called "Why There's Night And Day," the Great Spirit struggles with the Knight of the Night for control over the Great Spirit's daughter, Delta Dawn.
"It has music, dance, drama, comedy," Seymour said. "The more elements you put in it, the better you'll be graded in front of the judges."
The students designed sets and costumes using yard-sale items and trash, Seymour said.
"By the time we came up with the play, we still didn't know who had the parts," team member Brian Conlan said. Students tried the various parts, and casting was done by student vote.
After regional competition at William Byrd High School, the Glen Cove team and the other regional winners advanced to the state finals in Winchester.
Michele McLeod, director of Odyssey of the Mind's Roanoke region, gave one reason for the regional teams' success in state competition. "In our region, we train our judges very carefully, so they can recognize the best teams to send on."
In the world finals, each team competed against approximately 60 other teams from around the world, McLeod said. Teams are judged in three categories: their chosen problem, their skit, and spontaneous problem-solving.
In world competition, Glen Cove placed fifth in the problem division and second in spontaneous competition, Seymour said.
The Salem team chose a problem that required designing and building a weight-bearing balsa wood structure. The structure held 790 pounds, placing the team third in the world, according to coach Donna Pate.
Stonewall Jackson placed eighth in overall ratings for its division.
Lord Botetourt, which built model dinosaurs to perform certain tasks, placed 19th out of 50 teams in the problem division.
There was no charge to enter the competition, but teams had to pay for travel and lodging, McLeod said. Some teams received funding from their school systems, while other teams had to raise the money themselves.
"We had to raise $4,500 in 10 days because there's nothing funded for this program. You have to run out and just beg," Seymour said, adding that "Roanoke County schools did come up with some money."
Most of the coaches are volunteers, McLeod said. "To coach a team to the world finals takes hundreds of hours."
The hard work pays off in helping children feel good about themselves, Seymour said. OM is a chance to shine for kids who may or may not be achievers in the traditional fields of athletics or academics. "OM is their niche, and the self-esteem they get from being in it and the pride they get is just wonderful. We have one child who is LD - learning disabled - but his mind is so creative. Since he got on this team, it has raised his self-esteem; you wouldn't believe it."
The challenges posed by Odyssey of the Mind "got you to play with your mind," said Brian Conlan, whom Seymour described as the linchpin of the Glen Cove team. "You got to do more than just homework and stuff; it was more exciting than schoolwork."
Said Matthew McLeod, a member of the Salem team and son of Michele McLeod: "In regular schoolwork, there are certain answers you have to have. In OM, you can stretch your limits."
by CNB