FIRST PLACE AT THE ODYSSEY OF THE MIND WORLD FINALS 2023!
By Marcia Banks
This year, 748 teams from various parts of the world competed within one of five chosen long-term problems and within four age groups. This team was up against 60 of the best with their Long-Term Problem and age group! Winning first place at this level of competition is an amazing accomplishment!
Their Long-Term Problem: Pirates and the Treasure
The team had to perform an original performance about a group of pirate characters that reclaimed a stolen treasure and returned it to the Queen’s Kingdom. The team had to design and build a ride-on vehicle that was presented as a pirate ship. A Captain Character and an additional rider maneuvered the ship on a course and performed different functions, such as battling with a team-created sea monster and during this battle the ship had to sustain damage yet still be able to proceed to technically recover the Queen’s treasure. The performance had to include a team created song performed by the pirate characters, a non-member pirate that became animated, an original pirate ship flag and a creative “road” map.
The limitations to this problem included a time limit of 8 minutes which included setting up and performing, and a cost limit of the combined value of all materials used during the presentation of the solution not to exceed to the equivalent of $ 145 (US).
This was an open-ended problem with deliberate constraints, encouraging the members of the team to consider alternative strategies to overcome the limitations and to explore a wide range of ideas and approaches. These constraints challenged the team to search more deeply, explore unconventional approaches, to come up with unique and inventive solutions. Throughout the schoolyear, as the team worked on their solutions, their thinking became more flexible which in turn nurtured adaptability, an essential skill in creative problem solving.
The Odyssey of the Mind competition is unique in that it involves the spirit and the thrill of a friendly competition where the teams solving the same Long-Term Problem and within the same age range (division) support one another at competition time and show appreciation and respect for what other teams have showcased.
Seven other teams from the International School of Geneva participated in this year’s Odyssey of the Mind, joined by a team from EBiHS from Annecy-le-View, France.
Our teams applied the elements that make up for good teamwork and experienced that a group is a more powerful thinking force than an individual.
Our eight teams did a splendid job of stepping up to the challenges. This was an exciting learning experience that was both challenging and fun for our eight teams.
