Odyssey of the Mind Teams Ready for Worlds

Two Reston teams are off to Ames, IA, in two weeks to take part in the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals.

The teams from and earned their spots with top finishes in the Virginia  championships on April 14 in Newport News.

The Hughes team, one of three from the Reston middle school, took second place in Newport News.

Odyssey of the Mind is an international problem-solving prorgam for students in kindergarten through college.

Students on the Hughes team include Aarti Bhandari; Sharvari Bhatt; Darya Kharabi; Geetika Mahajan; Catherine Medvid; Olivia Strahan;Edison Turner and coach Rajesh Bhandari.

Along with preparing for the final competition, the team is trying to raise the money to pay their own way to the World Finals. Donations can be made at: www.gofundme.com/k9ckk. Checks can also be sent to the Langston Hughes PTA with “Odyssey of the Mind” in the memo field.

Over at Hunters Woods, a team of fifth graders is also getting ready for the World finals.

 The team took first place in the Virginia competition, building its Division 1 Ooh-motional vehicle.

 The problem for the team was to build a vehicle that has an original propulsion system, travels to three stops to encounter various situations, and creatively expresses emotions at each stop.

The children designed and built a vehicle that does all of that, and also created a skit and musical score.

The Hunters Woods team is also trying to raise money to help with the costs of the trip. The Hunters WoodsPTA has set up an online site where people can make tax-deductible donations to support this amazing team of students. 

To donate to the Hunters Woods Elementary School Odyssey of the Mind fundraiser to Iowa, visit the PTA site athttp://hwpta.org/Checkout.html or make a check payable to: HWES PTA / Odyssey of the Mind Donation, Hunters Woods Elementary School for the Arts and Sciences, 2401 Colts Neck Road, Reston,  VA 20191.