Cape Elementary students head to Odyssey of the Mind World Finals competition after a perfect score at states
Team is seeking donations to help offset travel costs
Six Cape Elementary students are traveling to Iowa at the end of May to participate in the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals competition.
This is the second year Veronica Quackenbush has coached the school’s Odyssey of the Mind team.
“It’s entirely run by the kids, so I coach them, just be an adult supervisor essentially,” she said. “They are in charge of creating a solution to one of the five problems that they have to select from each year that is put out by the Odyssey of the Mind organization.”
The Odyssey of the Mind program is offered to kindergarten through college-aged students. The students spend time developing a solution to a problem independently to present to judges in an eight-minute skit. The students are judged on style, as well as competing in a spontaneous top secret timed challenge where the team must come up with a solution quickly on the spot.
Quackenbush said the students have to build their own props, as well as write the skit and come up with different roles for the team members within the guidelines of the problem given.
Six students, a combination of fourth- and fifth-grade students, have spent roughly 160 hours perfecting their skit since August. Some weeks, five days were spent practicing as a team using feedback they have received from judges at the competitions.
The students on the team have been recommended through their teachers.
The students competed in the regional tournament in Fort Myers, which had teams from Sarasota down to Naples, and won first place. From there the students went to the state tournament, 10 different regions, in Orlando competing against the best teams from around the state and won first place again.
“They finished with a perfect score. It was pretty impressive,” she said of the state tournament.
Now, the team is traveling to the Word Finals at Iowa State University at the end of May. The tournament is for three days, with opening ceremony adding a fourth day.
“They compete against teams from all over the nation, and up to 28 different countries,” Quackenbush said.
To help offset costs for the students to travel to worlds with their props, and costumes, the team is seeking donations.
She said they are trying to find a business that wishes to partner with them, sponsorships, or individuals who would like to make a donation.
Sponsorship opportunities include Bronze Sponsor for $100, Silver Sponsor for $250, Gold Sponsor for $500 and the Priceless Sponsor for $1,000.
Those interested in more information can contact Cape Elementary School teacher coordinator Brittany Harley at BrittanyDH@leeschools.net, or call (239) 542-3551.
Donations can be made by visiting leeschools.schoolcashonline.com.
“They are over the moon,” she said of the kids being invited to the World Finals. “It was an exciting moment to get that invitation. Half of the team, this is their first year doing Odyssey of the Mind. It’s a big exciting moment.”
Quackenbush said the last time a team from Cape Elementary School went to Odyssey of the Mind World Finals was about 20 years ago.
She said Odyssey of the Mind is great because it promotes teamwork, time management, gaining of new skills, independency, and creativity.
To reach MEGHAN BRADBURY, please email news@breezenewspapers.com