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| The Pet Project team in action |
On Saturday March 9
th, Terraset participated in
the regional tournament for Odyssey of the Mind. Odyssey of the Mind is an
international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities
for students from kindergarten through college.
We believe this is the first time our school has been
represented in this great program. Unfortunately, we started preparing a little
late, but after a call for interest in mid November, about 23 kids indicated
they wanted to join in. We were able to enter three teams and the next three
months of preparation proved to be a lot of fun for all involved.
One team entered their solution for the Pet Project problem. Ethan Boswell, Noah Davidson, Cyrus Pendleton, Olivia
Purvis, Kathleen Russell, Eddie Schoenborn, and Caleb Waller were required
to build three vehicles, each with different propulsion systems. The vehicles
had to take three trips apiece to an assembly area where team members would
construct a pet and have the pet do a trick. Whew! That sounds like a lot. The
kids built a car that moved by rubber bands, an electric car, and a car that
moved by sling shot. Their pet was a parrot and its trick was to perform a
series of flips around a pole. The judges really loved their risk taking in
using a slingshot to propel the car, the great acting of the group and the
creativity that they all showed. The team did an amazing job and ranked 6th out
of 16 teams in their division.
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| ARTchitecture the Musical team psyching up! |
A second team worked to create
ARTchitecture the Musical. Julia Thomas, Sophie Stobie, Amanda
Grant, Katie Falcone, Jordyn Boswell, Rachael Boatwright and Ariel Boatwright
had to create and present an original performance that included a replica of a
documented architectural structure that was built between 1,000 AD and 1,600
AD. The story featured two characters that go on a quest to find three works of
art that "disappeared". The performance had to include two songs that
are accompanied by some type of choreographed movement. In preparing for the
tournament the team had a lot of fun. Indeed, each practice offered a great
chance for the girls to share many important cultural traditions (Can we have
more pizza?) and solve mission critical problems (We need more paint!) “Each
participant offered so much creativity and leadership.” coach Ray Boatwright
commented. “They showed great teamwork and artistic innovation.” The judges
were impressed with this team’s persistence and teamwork too… particularly when
their scene setup did not quite go to plan on the day of competition.
The third team (sorry we don't have a photo) entered their interpretation of The Email Must Go Through. Eve and
Esther Schofield, Tommy Smith, Celia Schulte, Ike Cho, and Brianna and Donovan
Tamaraz practiced in Terraset's library to start with. The team really enjoyed
sharing ideas and playing creative, team building games but, they were often very
distracted by the library books (especially when the book fair was in place) wanting
to read during practice. However, once it was time to build their email
device, they worked in coats next to a space heater in their coach’s garage.
“The team members were always upbeat, had more ideas than time allowed and
overall, enjoyed their time together” said one of their coaches, Michelle
Michlik. The judges complimented this team's use of recyclables and clever
costuming. But our favorite comment was about how much positive energy they
displayed during set up and performance. “This experience was great for the
kids, they got to know some Terraset Tigers from other grades, they stretched
their minds and talents, and best of all, they did it on their own.”
Terraset PTA would like to thank all the volunteers who
helped these three teams get to the tournament, particularly all the coaches:
Ray Boatwright, Dana Grant, Brandon Boswell, Michelle Michlic and Aaron
Schofield. Three teams and three success stories! “Not bad for our first year
competing and having 3-4 months less time than all the other teams!” said Terraset’s
Odyssey of the Mind coordinator, Katy Boswell. “We are all looking forward to
next year and getting more students involved!”
