Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 31, 1995                   TAG: 9505310067
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

ODYSSEY OF MIND ENTRIES HAVE SIGHTS SET ON 1996

Community School placed 13th among 63 teams competing in the Classics Vaudeville category for youngsters under 15 in the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals in Knoxville, Tenn., last week.

Stonewall Jackson Middle School finished 17th among 57 teams in the New Twist competition for youngsters under 15.

"We felt very good about it. The kids were talking on the way back about going back next year," said Ann Moser, one of Community School's OM coaches.

There were consolation victories for the private school in Roanoke County. It beat the Germans and Canadians in the international competition, which attracted more than 700 teams from around the world.

"This is a big part of their social life. It teaches them valuable lessons," Moser said. "It is educational - each problem combines many things: mathematics, physics, art."

In the Classics Vaudeville competition, Community School's problem was to develop and perform a vaudeville show with three or more original acts, an emcee and a commercial. One of the acts had to relate to some aspect of society that is positive. The time limit was eight minutes, and the materials used could not exceed a value of $80.

All of the costumes and props for the show had to fit in two suitcases, Moser said.

The Jackson students are "absolutely planning" to make it back to the world finals next year, said Michele McLeod, the OM coach at the Roanoke middle school.

In the New Twist category, they were required to design and build a structure of balsa wood and glue. The structure was tested by balancing and supporting as much weight as possible. The time limit for building it was eight minutes, and the value of the materials could not exceed $65.

Jackson competed early in the world finals, and the judges are traditionally conservative in the scoring of early competitors, McLeod said.