on top of the world :)
looking down from their dorm window
Last week P and his team of 6 other 6th graders traveled to Ames, Iowa to the Odyssey of the Mind World Competition. They had been practicing all year - came in 1st at regional, and 2nd at state, which meant they had qualified for the world competition. I went along for the ride :)
here they are waiting to fly out last Tuesday - for P and at least 2 or 3 others, this would be their first time in an airplane - -what a great first for them!
after their performance - all their costumes were hand made by the team...they even used corn husks for many costumes & props as a way
of paying recognition to the host state of Iowa.
Little did we know how big a deal this was - there were over 870 Odyssey of the Mind teams there, from just about every state and many foreign countries, too. It was a great experience - the kids stayed in dorms on campus, ate in the campus dining halls, and performed on campus.
here they are waiting to fly out last Tuesday - for P and at least 2 or 3 others, this would be their first time in an airplane - -what a great first for them!
and now they are in the lobby of the dorm - on their way to first day of rehearsal.
For those of you unfamiliar with OM it is a competition of creativity and the ability to think on your feet. Each team must find a solution to a long term problem - ie, a skit...they had to write their own skit explaining a "lost" 13th labor of Hercules. Everything in the skit needed to be original, and they were judged on their "style" of creativity and individuality. Our team coach was sooo proud to learn the fact that of the other 64 middle school teams we were competing against, we had the highest score for style! In addition to this long term problem (skit) they also have to solve a spontaneous problem...this time it was building a vessel that would float in water, and hold multiple items...each one worth a certain number of points. Again, creativity is important, plus the actual points earned from the objects in the vessel. Building this was right up P's alley...in fact he came out of that very secretive competition saying it was his speciality!
after their performance - all their costumes were hand made by the team...they even used corn husks for many costumes & props as a way
of paying recognition to the host state of Iowa.It was a week full of rehearsals, prop adjustments and scoping out the competition. But, last Saturday night we sat in a college basketball arena with thousands of other teams, coaches and parents and waited for the announcing of the winners.Unfortunately, we didn't place in the top 3 and receive a big trophy to bing home, but this team of seven 12 year olds, competing for the first time agianst other teams of 6th, 7th & 8th graders won EIGHTH PLACE! We were so excited and proud of our kiddos! We, as parents know they are pretty bright, but this confirmed it for all to reali
ze, as well. So - here I am, bragging about P and his team of friends, and two very devoted coaches, who have given him an experience that will be one he remembers forever. Thanks, Ms H and Mrs D!
ze, as well. So - here I am, bragging about P and his team of friends, and two very devoted coaches, who have given him an experience that will be one he remembers forever. Thanks, Ms H and Mrs D!opening ceremonies - Texas is near the bottom right corner...look for aqua shirts and cowboy hats :)
1 comment:
Congrats to all. I wish I had known you were coming. Ames is about 6 hours from here! I would have loved to have seen you.
M
Post a Comment