Greenwich Community Rallying To Send Students To Impactful Problem-Solving Competition

GREENWICH, CT — Two teams of students from Hamilton Avenue School have been invited to attend the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals at Iowa State University in late May, and the Greenwich community is rallying to send them there.

A GoFundMe fundraiser created by 2015 Distinguished Teacher Cathy Byrne, the students' coach, has raised nearly $2,000 out of a $10,000 goal as of Monday afternoon.

Odyssey of the Mind is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students.

"These students have worked hard all year and are excited to be representing Connecticut as they compete against passionate and creative students from around the world," Byrne wrote in the fundraiser's description.

"Our school community and their parents all very much want these 11 extraordinary students to be able to attend World Finals and have the experience they have worked so hard to earn," Byrne added. "In order to attend we need to raise funds to pay for food, housing and transportation to Iowa. The cost for each student to attend is about $1,500."

Hamilton Avenue School is no stranger to the impactful competition, as students from the school have participated over the past 10 years.

"Odyssey of the Mind is a learning experience which has helped our students develop skills that will last a lifetime. Students have learned to cooperate and respect the ideas of others, and to evaluate ideas and make decisions on their own," Byrne added.

"Our students have gained greater self-confidence and increased self-esteem through their hard work. In addition, they work within a budget, so they learn to manage their money. Students see that there is often more than one way to solve a problem, and that sometimes the process is more important than the end result."

Hamilton Avenue School is also organizing other fundraisers at the school, Byrne said.

The Odyssey of the Mind World Finals is slated for May 27– 30.

More information on the competition can be found here.

View the GoFundMe fundraiser.