Odyssey of the Mind could be one of the most interesting and challenging competitions a school can enter. Combining problem solving, creative thinking, theatrical performance, technology, engineering and sometimes music, students from more than 25 countries compete to solve unique scenarios.
With two divisions — middle school and elementary — Odyssey of the Mind asks teams of seven students to invent eight-minute skits in response to one of five proposed scenarios, or “problems.” This year, the Long Beach Elementary team for Problem 3 came home from the world finals in Ames, Iowa with a rank of first in the world for long-term performance and a rank of 8th in the world overall.
“It’s never been done before by a Long Beach team,” said Douglas MacConnell, team coach and teacher at East Elementary. “We have won overall worlds. The difference between long-term and overall is, there’s three criteria for the overall score. That is ‘long-term,’ which is on a scale of 200 points, ‘style’ points which is out of 50 points, and then ‘spontaneous,’ which is scored out of 100.”
The Long Beach team, known on the competitive circuit as “Team Believe” for their infectiously positive attitude, won two previous overall world titles. For their world-ranked performance this year, the team developed the script, props and set pieces to tell a story they created: After a terrible beast kidnapped a local princess, darkness fell across the land. The heroes use the power of music, and an ingenious Rube Goldberg machine, to overcome a guarding troll and rescue the princess from the beast who, it turned out, was the princess herself and the sister of one of the main characters.
The team consisted of students from several elementary schools throughout the district — Anna Chapman, Jackson Dali, Jackson DeVito, Alexia Fink, Rafe Kaminsky, Maisie McChesney, Max Sendik and Sariyah Tobin. Andie Techera, a teaching assistant at Lido Elementary, is also a team coach.
Each student played their role to elevate the team. For example, Fink taught herself to play guitar specifically for last year’s competition. “Anna Chapman, she’ll be on Broadway or something one day,” MacConnell predicted. “Her voice is that powerful.”
The Elementary Problem 3 team wasn’t the only crew from Long Beach to rank highly in this year’s global competition. The Elementary Problem 2 team achieved fourth in the world in long-term performance and ninth overall. Middle school Problem 2 ranked 10th in the world in long-term performance and 21st overall, while Middle school Problem 3 earned fifth in the world for long-term performance and 10th overall.
In addition to championships at the regional, state, national and international level, Odyssey of the Mind also distributes special awards each year to recognzie teams and volunteers for particular effort and dedication to creative problem-solving.
The Renatra Fusca Creativity Award is given to a team or individual who demonstrates outstanding creativity, embodying the most fundamental spirit of the program. The OMER’s Award recognizes an a coach, team member, parent or official who is an ideal role model through their words or actions. The Spirit Award is earned by an individual who encourages cooperation, self-respect and the appreciation and understanding of others.
After earning the Ranatra Fusca award this year, the Long Beach team has officially received every possible championship and distinction across their competitive history. Their preparation for next year’s competition has already begun with team tryouts.