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Odyssey of the Mind teams |
2024-2025 Odyssey of the Mind Teams are forming now! Join us for an information session via zoom on Monday, August 9th at 8pm. The zoom link is inthe Wednesday folder. Learn more about this fantastic competition that combines engineering, creativity, and teamwork. FAQ My child is interested. How do I join a team? A team is formed with 1 coach and 4 to 7 students. Preference will be given to student's who parents volunteer and coaches will have a direct say in the students on their team. We need coaches! Many of our coaches have graduated from Westbriar, so please consider being a coach. Recruit a friend as a co-coach, which makes it even more fun. What is the time commitment? Teams typically meet for 2-3 hours each week (once after school and once on the weekend). Then starting 2-3 weeks before the competition they meet more frequently to polish the problem solution. The Virginia Regional Competition will be held in March. You should view this commitment similar to a sports team. What is Odyssey of the Mind? Odyssey of the Mind is an international educational program that teaches students creative problem-solving methods while having fun in the process. Odyssey of the Mind teams develop solutions to open-ended problems that appeal to a wide range of interests – from building mechanical devices to presenting their own interpretations of literary classics. The goal is to develop the most creative “out of the box” solution within a modest budget. Teams present their solution in a humorous 8 minute skit. At last year's competition we saw towers withstand a load of 800 pounds, giant sized talking backpacks, time travelling cats, boats rowed with hockey sticks, dazzling soda can dresses, and more. Teams are free to pursue their ideas and suggestions without fear of criticism. Adult coaches act merely as facilitators and are discouraged from influencing the team's ideas. The result is that all success the team has belongs 100% to the kids. The teaming skills and self-confidence this builds is why Odyssey has grown for over 35 years to more than 30 countries. Who Should Do Odyssey of the Mind? All children benefit from developing creative problem-solving techniques and team skills, but if your child has an interest in engineering, art, drama, writing, story-telling, building, or just having fun, Odyssey of the Mind is a great fit for them!Teams benefit from a wide range of skill sets and personality traits. When, Where and How Often Does it Meet? Practice schedules are up to each team. Typically, meetings are once a week for 1.5 hours and will start at the end of September. They are held at a parent volunteer’s house at a time that is most convenient for all team members. As the competition approaches, there may be extra hours and meetings to make final preparations. The Regional competition is usually held on the 2nd Saturday in March at Oakton HS. |
2024-2025 Odyssey of the Mind Teams are forming now!Join us for informational session on SeptemberPlease join us to learn more about this fantastic competition that combines engineering, creativity, and teamwork. Students solve a problem and present their solution in an 8 minute skit. Last year our students built balsa wood animals that could hold over 400 pounds, built vehicles capable of solving elaborate challenges, wrote twist endings to traditional stories, and more. For the past several years, Westbriar teams have won at the Regional, State, and World levels. FAQ My child is interested. How do I join a team? A team is formed with 1 coach and 4 to 7 students. We need coaches! Many of our coaches have graduated from Westbriar, so please consider being a coach. Recruit a friend as a co-coach, which makes it even more fun. What is the time commitment? Teams typically meet for 2-3 hours each week (once after school and once on the weekend). Then starting 2-3 weeks before the competition they meet more frequently to polish the problem solution. The Virginia Regional Competition will be held in March. What is Odyssey of the Mind? Odyssey of the Mind is an international educational program that teaches students creative problem-solving methods while having fun in the process. Odyssey of the Mind teams develop solutions to open-ended problems that appeal to a wide range of interests – from building mechanical devices to presenting their own interpretations of literary classics. The goal is to develop the most creative “out of the box” solution within a modest budget. Teams present their solution in a humorous 8 minute skit. At last year's competition we saw towers withstand a load of 800 pounds, giant sized talking backpacks, time travelling cats, boats rowed with hockey sticks, dazzling soda can dresses, and more. Teams are free to pursue their ideas and suggestions without fear of criticism. Adult coaches act merely as facilitators and are discouraged from influencing the team's ideas. The result is that all success the team has belongs 100% to the kids. The teaming skills and self-confidence this builds is why Odyssey has grown for over 35 years to more than 30 countries. Who Should Do Odyssey of the Mind? All children benefit from developing creative problem-solving techniques and team skills, but if your child has an interest in engineering, art, drama, writing, story-telling, building, or just having fun, Odyssey of the Mind is a great fit for them!Teams benefit from a wide range of skill sets and personality traits. When, Where and How Often Does it Meet? Meetings are once a week for 1.5 hours and will start at the end of September. They are held at a parent volunteer’s house at a time that is most convenient for all team members. As the competition approaches, there may be extra hours and meetings to make final preparations. The Regional competition is usually held on the 2nd Saturday in March at Oakton HS. Contact Information Teams are organized by grade (K-2 and 3-6) with a max of 7 kids per team. If you are interested in joining or being a coach/co-coach, please email Roopa Chowbey at wesootm@gmail.com. Last year, Westbriar had several great teams and sent one to Nationals! We are looking forward to another great year! https://www.odysseyofthemind.com/whatis.php Sign-up will be posted soon If you and/or your child are interested in participating in OotM for the 2017-2018 school year, please stay tuned as sign up will be available shortly on this page. In the meantime, please email Roopa Chowbey at wesootm@gmail.com if you are interested in signing up. Sign up for team participation will be on a first come basis, as the |