Richland One School Wins First Place in Odyssey of the Mind World Finals

Quick thinking, creativity and the ability to thrive under pressure helped Lewis Greenview Elementary students win first place in Division I of the World Finals of the Odyssey of the Mind competition held May 23–26 in East Lansing, Michigan.

The team, named the Busy Bodies, included fifth-grade Advanced Academic Program students Destiny Tolbert, Ebony English, Ayanna Suber, Sarah Nesbit, Maya Dilligard, Desia Truesdale and KaDeedra Elkins. The team was coached by John and Sonya Tolbert.

The Busy Bodies competed against 65 teams from schools around the nation and the world including Canada, China and South Korea. The competition was held on the campus of Michigan State University. As state Odyssey of the Mind champs, three teams of Lewis Greenview students won the privilege of competing in the World Finals.

The Odyssey of the Mind is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten to college. Students use their skills to solve problems ranging from building mechanical devices to presenting their own interpretations of literary classics. Teams then present their solutions in local, state and world competitions. Thousands of teams from the United States and from 25 other countries participate in this program.

The problem presented to the Busy Bodies in the World Finals was in the category called "Classics ...Around the World in 8 Minutes." The team had to create and present a performance that includes a "Traveler" character on a trip around the world. The Traveler stops in three locations that have different geographic characteristics. Students had to design and build a set, create their own costumes, present their performance within eight minutes and think fast on their feet during a question-and-answer period with the judges.

Richland One congratulates our Odyssey of the Mind world champions from Greenview Elementary as well as the two other Greenview teams and the teams from Keenan High that also competed in the World Finals, along with their coaches, principals and parents.

For more information, contact the Richland One Office of Communications at 231-7510 or 231-7504.