Local Team Competes at World Odyssey Competition

A group of six students from Belvedere Elementary School in Falls Church are advancing to the World Finals in the Odyssey of the Mind competition. They head to Michigan State University in May to compete with 800 other teams from across the nation and other countries. The team won the regional competition in March and placed 2nd in the Virginia State competition on April 18th by performing a new age take on the classic story of Pandora’s Box and acing a ‘spontaneous’ problem before a group of judges.

Odyssey of the Mind is a group competition & educational experience, providing creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college. Team members apply their creativity to solve problems that range from building mechanical devices to presenting their own interpretation of literary classics. This year’s final is the 36th in the program’s history.

The Belvedere Elementary School team is made up of 4th and 5th grade students who have been preparing for the competition since October 2014 under the guidance of their volunteer coach Eric Kaufman. They welcome the support of the community and/or business sponsors as they travel to Michigan. For more information please see gofundme.com/BelvedereOdyssey