Markham Place Odyssey of the Mind Winners

Markham Place School competed in the Odyssey of the Mind competitions last month with two teams: a seventh grade team and a fifth grade team. The 5^th grade team won 1^st place in the Regional competition held on March 16, 2013 at Woodstown High School. They also won the Ranatra Fusca Award in recognition of Ralph’s creative helium balloon powered vehicle. The Ranatra Fusca  award is presented only occasionally to teams or individuals who display tremendous creativity at competitions. This 5^th grade team, under the guidance of Mrs. Elizabeth Flynn, the gifted and talented teacher from Markham Place School, included Evan C., Elizabeth Norton, Ralph Molinari, Sally Ehlers, Catherine Wimmer, Owen Murphy, and Josh Sapirstein.

After winning the regional competition, this team went on to compete at the State Finals held in Ewing on April 13^th where they came in 3^rd in the state for their division. Their problem was the Pet Project, which required the students to come up with three vehicles propelled by different means that would deliver 9 parts of an object that would be assembled to create a pet. Catherine designed and built the pet whale out of duct tape and tinker toys – an amazing engineering feat. The students created 3 vehicles that were generated by wind (fan), wheels (human force) and air (helium balloons). The students made costumes, created props, wrote a skit, and practiced for hours after school and during their recess time. Their entire performance, from set-up to end, had to be completed in 8 minutes. Their efforts paid off in their excellent showing in both competitions.

Odyssey of the Mind is an internationally known organization that encourages creativity and problem solving for children from kindergarten to college. Students from Markham Place School started competing three years ago under the guidance of Rebecca Norton, a local Little Silver parent. This year’s 7^th grade team, coached by Mrs. Norton, included Emma Flynn, Jay Norton, Molly Peer, Sarah Curtis, Veronica Yaron, and Christy Linden.

The students are looking forward to next year’s competition and the chance to try a new problem. Information on Odyssey of the Mind can be found at www.odysseyofthemind.com.