On Saturday, March 7, seven Manhasset students placed first in their division in the regional Odyssey of the Mind competition in Wantagh with a perfect score. The group was comprised of second graders Rhys DeHaan, J.P. Grassano, Sophia Oliveri and Cole Thalheimer, first graders Michael DiOrio and Jessica Strassberg and Kindergartener Austin Sharkey. Teams throughout all of Long Island and Queens competed that day.
Odyssey of the Mind is a nationwide creative problem solving competition in two parts. The first problem the students completed was performance-based. They were tasked with identifying three “wacky weather” conditions, creating an original forecasting device, developing a weather simulation and writing and performing an original script in rhyming verse. The students worked collaboratively to brainstorm and execute all phases of their problem. Additionally, they created all of the elements necessary for the successful performance and took turns directing one another onstage.
The second phase of the competition also required student-led creative problem solving. However, this problem was revealed to the students on the day of the competition in a room full of judges with no time to prepare. The team was asked to respond on the spot under constraints which required adaptations to their responses according to prompts from the judges. The judges were quite impressed with the ability and creativity of the group.
The judges awarded the Manhasset team the highest possible scores in both the performance and spontaneous categories. The children received trophies during the awards ceremony, as well as, verbal feedback from the judges. The students far surpassed what the judges had seen this year or in previous years.
The SEPTA group was unique in that the other districts competing run the Odyssey program through the schools. This program was a pilot group with families that have been instrumental in the growth of SEPTA’s gifted and talented division over the last two years.
The success of this program is attributable to the huge commitment that the students as well as their families made, outside of school. On average, the team met four hours a week since early November.
Leading up to the competition, the students all enjoyed a sense of being challenged creatively and learning in a way that fine tunes their skills and interests. The competition stems from the very core concept of gifted education, the idea that children need to be taught to think critically and creatively as problem solvers. Gifted education is not a matter of providing more or accelerated school work. It is about finding ways to provide different and appropriate learning activities for students.
The team wishes to thank Shields Hardware for their generous donation of PVC piping that the students used to frame the backdrops for the performance. Thank you to Shelter Rock Principal Robert Geczik for allowing the group to use the stage at school for dress rehearsal.
