Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 27, 1994 TAG: 9403280132
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: E-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MICHAEL STOWE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
The students had encountered an unexpected, last-minute problem and were struggling for a solution.
One little girl nearly came to tears as the youngsters tried to figure out how to display a homemade sign that identified their school. They had expected a stand to be provided. "This pressure is pretty intense," Herndon said. "I'm so nervous."
Herndon had worked since October with the children, including her 9-year-old daughter, Missy, preparing for the regional tournament.
After a little arguing, the youngsters decide that one of them would just have to stand and hold the sign during the performance.
"Teamwork, that's what this is all about," Herndon said as her team took the stage.
Odyssey of the Mind is a statewide academic competition that challenges students to be creative and original in solving long-term and spontaneous problems presented to them. There were six categories at Saturday's competition held at William Byrd middle and high schools, and more than 1,000 students participated.
The teams are judged on two types of tasks: a long-term problem, where teams develop solutions and bring them to the competition; and a spontaneous problem, given to them Saturday.
Some of the skill-testing tasks were engineering problems, while others were skits and dramatic performances.
Herndon's team was competing in the "OM-Believable Music" category, in which competitors had to make three musical instruments and use them in a short skit.
The Grandin Court team presented their rendition of "The Tortoise and the Hare," using a kazoo and a set of empty bottles. Their most inventive instrument was a serrated knife sliding over cardboard to make a sound like a snoring rabbit.
Perhaps the most challenging category was one that required the teams to design and build a balsa-wood structure to balance and support as much weight as possible.
A team from Penn Forest Elementary built a tiny model that held 365 pounds and didn't break before their skit ended. The youngsters at Highland Park Learning Center weren't quite as fortunate. Their cube-like structure crumbled with just 60 pounds on top of it.
Fourth-grader Jessica Parker said she still enjoyed preparing for the competition.
"It was a handful, but it was fun," the Highland Park pupil said. Other problems required teams to design, build and run three small vehicles, with each trying to break a balloon target; to perform a scene tying a historical event from the 20th century with a scene in "The Iliad"; and to create and present the life of an animal from the animal's point of view.
The competition was part of the international Odyssey of the Mind program, which has thousands of participating schools throughout the world.
The Roanoke Regional Competition included teams from the Roanoke Valley; Rockbridge, Alleghany, Augusta, Bath and Highland counties; plus Covington, Buena Vista, Staunton and Waynesboro. A similar competition was also held Saturday in the New River Valley. Saturday's winners will advance to the state finals April 30 in Richmond.
The competition for that honor was fierce - not only between the kids, but also their parents.
"Ten-to-one, the coach of that team is an engineer," muttered one parent when a group of students from Troutville Elementary carted out an elaborate set of props for their skit in the OM-Believable Music category.
\ THE WINNERS:\ \ OM Believable Music: Penn Forest Elementary, Botetourt Intermediate, Lord\ Botetourt High.\ \ Mini Terrain Vehicles: Cave Spring Junior Team A; Cave Spring Junior Team A.\ \ Iliad: Oak Grove Elementary, Roanoke Catholic Upper and Lower; Lord Botetourt\ High and Cave Spring High (tie).\ \ Set It Free Penn Forest Elementary, Stonewall Jackson Middle, Governor's School.\ \ Furs, Fins and Feathers Glen Cove Elementary, W.E. Cundiff Elementary, Rockbridge Middle.\ \ Ranatra Fusca Creativity Awards were presented to teams or individuals exhibiting exceptional creativity. Winners were:\ \ OM Believable Music: Lord Botetourt High student David Lewis and Botetourt Intermediate\ \ Mini Terrain Vehicles Cave Spring Junior Team B\ \ The Iliad Oak Grove Elementary, Community School and Long Haired Girl (Salem G/T South Salem)\ \ Set It Free Governor's School\ \ Furs, Fins and Feathers Raleigh Court Elementary and East Salem Elementary.
by CNB