Bethesda Students Will Take on World at Odyssey of the Mind Competition

Two teams from Wood Acres Elementary School in Bethesda placed at the top of their fields during the Maryland State Competition of The Odyssey of the Mind on March 21 at Bells Mill Elementary School in Potomac.

Starting last October, the teams selected one of five “long problems” to master, doing all the work with minimal guidance and no assistance from their coaches, according to a news release.

Team “Electra-City”, led by parent volunteers Rita Stephan and Dave Charlton, placed first in the “Problem 3: Pandora’s Box” Competition, while the team led by parent volunteers Jennifer Taylor and Mike Kohler placed second in the “Problem 5: Silent Movie” competition.

The Odyssey of the Mind uses fun and creative problem-solving techniques to teach students teamwork. By encouraging imaginative paths to problem-solving, students create a baseline of skills that provide them with the ability to solve problems for a lifetime.

Team “Electra-City”, the 2015 Stephan/Charlton Wood Acres ES team, consists of the following students:

- Gabriel Caraballo, 5th grade

- Zoey Charlton, 5th grade

- Sofia Eisenberg, 3rd grade

- Tyler Lewis, 5th grade

- Madigan Mohrman, 5th grade

- Madelief Snel, 5th grade

- Karla Stephan, 5th grade

The 2015 Taylor/Kohler Wood Acres ES team consists of the following students:

- Calvin Berlin, 5th grade

- Jennifer Cook, 5th grade

- Isha Iyengar, 4th grade

- Gunnar Kohler, 2nd grade

- Haakon Kohler, 4th grade

- Orhan Ulku, 2nd grade

- Grace Taylor, 4th grade

Both teams will advance to the World Competition, held May 20 through 23 at Michigan State University.