Sierra Madre Middle School Wins Its Division at Odyssey of the Mind

placed another feather in its academic cap with a win in Division II at the L.A. Basin regional competition for Odyssey of the Mind on Saturday, Feb. 25. 

The school’s team of sixth graders includes Ashford Milne (12), Axel Tanner (11), Eva Hostetter (11), Hana Tyszka (11), Katie Stapenhorst (12) and Sophia Cimino (11). 

According to parent coach Lisa Milne, “They placed first in Division II, Extreme Mousemobiles, at the L.A. Basin regional competition held at Manhattan Beach Middle School Saturday. Having placed first, they will now travel to the State Competition on Saturday, March 26th, in Brentwood ... in Northern California, to compete with the other regional winners.”  Coach Milne was assisted by two additional parent coaches, Andy Milne and Maria Cimino.

The team also took top honors in the regional T-shirt competition. The SME design was worn by Odyssey officials and judges at the event and was available for a memento purchase by the event’s participants.

Sierra Madre competed in the “Extreme Mousemobiles” competition, their chosen long term project, against six other schools. Nearby Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary School in Pasadena and Village Glen School in Sherman Oaks tied for second place in the division. Other schools competing were: Sycamore Canyon School in Newbury Park, Holmes Middle School in Northridge, Western Christian School in Claremont and New Los Angeles Charter School in L.A.

The kids had to design and build vehicles powered by spring-loaded mouse traps and create an eight-minute performance that involved several vehicle stunts, including hitting a target, raising a flag, etc.

The L.A. Odyssey website describes the process, the program and its participants:

Odyssey of the Mind is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college. Kids apply their creativity to solve problems that range from building mechanical devices to presenting their own interpretation of literary classics. They then bring their solutions to competition on the local, state and world level. Thousands of teams from throughout the U.S. and from about 25 other countries participate in the program. … It’s all about creativity, an often overlooked element in the growth and development of many students. Kids are rewarded more for how they apply their knowledge, skills and talents, and not for coming up with the right answer. In fact, in Odyssey of the Mind problems, there isn’t one right answer. Ever.

A 1995 article about the organization and its events in Smithsonian Magazine, linked on the OM website  (the acronym fondly used by avid Odyssey devotees), lightheartedly tries to describe the quirky event for the uninitiated.

Because in Odyssey of the Mind-or “OM,” as these tournaments are affectionately known to more than a million youthful participants in all 50 states and 20 other countries-there seems to be no limit to the amount of time children are willing to invest or the heights of creativity they are able to achieve.  Electing to solve one of five long-term problems, they work as a team for months, seeking original solutions that will wow the judges.

For those who take first-place honors at local, state, and national competitions, the reward is a chance to compete in the World Finals, a dizzying four-day thinkathon that looks like some kind of kooky cross between science fair, masquerade party, performing arts fest and the Olympics. “Trying to explain Odyssey of the Mind to someone who’s never seen it,” an OM official told me, “is like trying to explain how to tie your shoes over the telephone."

The sixth graders were recognized at Sierra Madre Elementary’s Spotlight Assembly on Thursday, March, 3.

LA Basin regional link: http://www.laodyssey.org/
California State link: http://www.calomer.org/joomla/
National Site: http://www.odysseyofthemind.com/