Brunswick Middle & Lower School "Odyssey of the Mind" Teams Head to International Championships

     (Greenwich, Conn. – April 5, 2011) – It took a lot of inspiration, brainstorming, problem solving and teamwork for the Brunswick Middle and Lower School “Odyssey of the Mind” participants to achieve 1^st and 2^nd place, respectively, in the Connecticut State finals before heading off to the international championships in Maryland at the end of May. Thousands of teams from throughout the U.S. and 25 other countries participate in this program that encourages students from K-12 and college to solve creative problems that might range from building mechanical devices to presenting interpretations of literary classics.  Competitions take place on the local, state and world level. The unique aspect of the odyssey is that the entire solution must come from the team members. No outside assistance from parents, friends or teachers is permitted.

     Brunswick Lower School 4^th grade Connecticut State champs —Connor Belcastro, Theo Coupe, George Coyle, Andrew Grossman, Will Jones and Tom Richter—took on the problem, “As Good As … Goldberg.”

      “This category required the boys to take a simple device and make it ridiculously complicated. Our team chose to create a meat tenderizer from caveman times,” said Tim Coupe, Brunswick Lower School technology teacher and “Odyssey of the Mind” club co-coordinator. “The boys took on this challenging problem that not only exercised their minds, but necessitated real team work along the way.

     “Using a power drill triggered by lacrosse balls rolling across multiple rain gutters as their primary form of power, the team’s ‘improved’ meat tenderizer was marketed by a pair of telemarketers and an inventor,” Mr. Coupe continued. “The boys had to rely on their secondary form of power when the drill failed during their presentation. Improvising during challenging situations is a key component of the ‘Odyssey of the Mind’ experience, and our students really rose to the occasion.” 

     The Brunswick Middle School 5^th grade team—David Sobaro, Thacher Scannell, Zach Mothner, Patrick Kulesh, Ishaan Patel and J.J. von Oiste—opted to solve a vehicle problem. By building four mouse trap cars to accomplish a variety of tasks that included driving through a tunnel, changing directions; hitting a target; raising a flag; traveling 13 feet then stopping,  the team also included launching a catapult. They wrote an original story about gnomes (played by J.J. von Oiste and Ishaan Patel) in the ocean protecting coral from an Octopus (Patrick Kulesh) and Kangaroo (David Sorbaro). The sea animals launched the mousetrap vehicles to accomplish the tasks in the quest. Announcers Catfish (Zach Mothner) and Pufferfish (Thacher Scannell) narrated the 8-minute play-by-play action as the coral was captured, thus revealing Atlantis.

     “The Brunswick Lower and Middle School ‘Odyssey of the Mind’ teams are thrilled to go on the international level, and will represent both Connecticut and Brunswick School with pride,” said Sonia Schott, Brunswick Middle School science teacher and “Odyssey of the Mind” club co-coordinator. “Whether or not the boys bring home the title, participating in this creative and challenging competition has enriched their critical thinking, their ability to think on their feet and their team work skills. The whole experience will be something they will long remember.” 

 #  #  #