Monday, September 1st, 2008
Thenew 2008-2009 Odyssey of the Mind brochure is now available online by clicking on it in the sidebar to the right. A hardcopy version should also be arriving in your mailbox soon. It includes information about this year’s program and applications - one for students who want to sign up for a problem team, and one for parents who are interested in coaching a problem team.
Click on the 2007-2008 Testimonials page in the sidebar to the right to see how some of last year’s students felt about their Odyssey of Mind experience.
Monday, September 1st, 2008
Coming up soon are the first three meetings for this year’s Odyssey of the Mind Program:
Coaches Meeting:
On Thursday, September 4, 2008, from 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM, a meeting will be held at Middlesex Middle School, Library Media Center, for parent coaches from last year. [Even if you are not coaching again this year, it would be great if you could attend!]
Student Information Meeting:
On Thursday, September 11, 2008, from 2:30 PM - 3:00 PM, a meeting will be held at Middlesex Middle School, Room 312, for students who are interested in participating in this year’s Odyssey of the Mind program. Students who participate in last year’s program should also attend.
Parent Information Meeting:
On Thursday, September 18, 2008, from 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM, a meeting will be held at Middlesex Middle School, Library Media Center, for parents who desire to learn more about this year’s Odyssey of the Mind program and/or who are interested in coaching one of the Odyssey of the Mind student teams.
Contact RCellini@darienps.org for more information.
Thursday, July 10th, 2008
This website is in the process of being updated for the 2008-2009 Odyssey of the Mind program. Some information is already updated.
See the sidebar to the right for links to the new “2008-2009 Odyssey of the Mind Brochure with Applications for Student and Parents”, “Important Dates for Coaches”, and “Registration Deadlines” pages.
Check back in later in August 2008 for other updated information.
Tuesday, April 1st, 2008
Are you a potential Odyssey kid? Want to see what our MMS teams did this year - stay afterschool on Thursday, April 3rd from 2:30 PM - 3:50 PM to watch presentations by all five Odyssey of the Mind student teams. Bring your parents! This presentation will be especially helpful for those students and parents who have an interest in participating in next year’s Odyssey of the Mind program. It will include videos and props of this year’s problems/projects that the students actually worked on. Students and parent-coaches will also be able to answer questions about the program. The presentation will take place in the Auditorium. For more information, contact Rosemary Cellini, RCellini@darienps.org.
Tuesday, March 18th, 2008
WOW!!! is the only word to describe the performances of our Odyssey of the Mind students this past Saturday. The performances of each and every team and each and every student on the MMS teams were excellent. Four of our five teams placed second in spontaneous problem-solving and three of the teams placed fourth overall with high scores for style. This is extraordinary since our adventurous new MMS teams worked on new problems and competed with very experienced teams who have been together for years working on the same problem or same type of problem. The whole atmosphere of the competition was exhilarating for our students, parents, and coaches. They all learned much, too, from the performances of teams from other schools. This was a day to celebrate creativity, inspiration, collaboration, and so much fun!
Congratulations to all who partipated in Odyssey of the Mind this year! We hope you will return next year, and continue the journey.
Videos of each of the five teams performing will be up on this website soon, so please check back.
Click on the photograph to enlarge it.
Wednesday, March 12th, 2008
Please celebrate an extraordinary journey that 34 Middlesex Middle School students and their parent-coaches [list below] have taken this year by participating in the Odyssey of the Mind program. Odyssey of the Mind is a creative problem-solving competition that challenges students to apply engineering, artistic, creative and teamwork skills. This Saturday, March 15, all five of the MMS Odyssey of the Mind teams will compete in the CT Tournament [State Finals] in Durham, CT with schools from all over Connecticut. If you know any of the students listed below, please give them your support and encouragement. Our students have worked for countless hours over many months on their creative solutions.
Odyssey Road Rally Team: Gayle Appleby and Teri Van de Graaf, Coaches. Students - Colten Appleby, NIck Palmer, Jay Patrick, Fay Ruizzuto, Cameron Van de Graaf, and Caroline Wetterauw.
Dinostories Team: Heather Shea and Tisha Saffa, Coaches. Students - Henry King, Isabel Lee, Ali McGarey, Aastha Narula, Lily Saffa, Tanner Shea, and Lila Sullivan.
The Wonderful Muses Team: Susan Farrington and Liz Gagne, Coaches. Students - James Farrington, Caroline Farrington, Nicole Gagne, Caroline Golino, Megan Gregory, Trevor McGovern, and Natalie Metz.
Tee Structure Team: Ginger Morgan and Ellen Powis, Coaches. Students - Jack Christensen, Andrew Fletcher, Andrew Morgan, Reed Morgan, Spencer Mulligan, Haley Okun, and Robert Powis.
The Eccentrics: Brianna Schneider and Karen Schneidermayer, Coaches. Students - Nicholas Cohen, Jessie Flamand, Diana Jackson, David Martens, Alexandra Norelli, Annabel Schneider, and Michaela Schneidemayer.
We also invite YOU to join us in Durham for a day of fun and amazing performances by our talented students. You will witness alternative models for collaborative, creative, problem-solving in action.
Teams will be judged on their long-term solution to one of the five problems they choose to work on and on spontaneous problem-solving. Click here for the synopses of individual problems for 2007-2008. For a schedule of individual MMS teams, please click here. On the schedule, LTime refers to “long-term solution” presentation, and STime to “spontaneous problem-solving”.
Driving Directions to Regional No. 13 Tri-School Complex in Durham, CT [Coginchaug Regional High School, 1235 Pickett Lane, Durham, CT 06422].
For more information, contact RCellini@darienps.org.
Friday, February 29th, 2008
There will be a Spontaneous Practice Session for all of Darien’s five Odyssey of the Mind teams on Thursday, March 13, 2008, from 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM, in the Middlesex Middle School Cafeteria. Spontaneous problem-solving will be part of the competition at the CT Tournament [State Finals] on Saturday, March 15, 2008, and the teams have been practicing during their meetings on the three types of spontaneous problems - verbal, verbal-hands-on, and hands-on. They also had the opportunity to compete against teams from other Connecticut schools several weeks ago in the CTOM Spontaneous Scrimmage; but, this is the first time that all of the five Darien teams from Middlesex will participate in this type of activity together. The teams will be able to relax, have some fun, and practice their spontaneous problem-solving strategies and skills. Team members and team coaches will be treated to a pizza dinner. For more information about spontaneous problem-solving, see the resources on the Links to Resources for Coaches in sidebar to the right or go directly to the CTOM’s SponZone, one of the key resources listed there which posts a new practice problem each month. From here you can also access additional practice problems on the main Odyssey of the Mind website. For more information, contact RCellini@darienps.org.
Friday, February 29th, 2008
The next few weeks will be very intense for all five of Darien’s Odyssey of the Mind Teams - Odyssey Road Rally, Dinostories, Wonderful Muses, Tee Structures, and Eccentrics - who are preparing their final problem-solutions for the CT Tournament [State Finals] to be held on Saturday, March 15, 2008 at Regional District No. 13, Coginchaug High School, Durham, CT. We have had some peeks at some of the props and costumes and other parts of the problem-solutions, and they are very inventive and full of humor! We are eager to see the run-throughs of the whole performances. Teams have been meeting at least two times a week or more for the past few months - both at Middlesex Middle School and at coaches’ homes on the weekends. This is a dedicated group of students and parents! If you would like to know more about the types of problems the teams are working on, go to http://www.odysseyofthemind.com and click on “2008 Problem Synopses” in the left sidebar. Check back for more specific information about the CT Tournament as we approach March 15.
Friday, February 15th, 2008
Congratulations to the intelligent, creative, and very hard-working students on the five Darien Odyssey of the Mind teams [see list of whole teams below] for making it to the Spontaneous Scrimmage this past Saturday and to their equally intelligent, creative, and very hard-working parent coaches [see list below] who have been coaching the Odyssey teams since September. The students and coaches came away with much new experience and a much better idea of what it is like to compete in a spontaneous problem-solving contest with teams from other schools. Here students tested their strategies in a real context and their bonding as a team. They received feedback from judges that will help them to really improve their problem-solving skills so they will be in top form on Saturday, March 15, when they compete at a state-level as part of the CT Tournament. The bus rides up and back were filled with fun and creative activities, too.
Odyssey Road Rally Team: Coaches - Gayle Appleby and Teri Van de Graaf; Students - Colten A., Nick P., Jay P., Fay R., Will R., Cameron V., and Caroline W.
Dinostories Team: Coaches - Heather Shea and Tisha Saffa; Students - Henry K., Isabel L., Ali M., Aastha N., Lily S., Tanner S., and Lila S.
The Wonderful Muses Team: Coaches - Susan Farrington and Liz Gagne; Students - James F., Nicole G., Caroline G., Megan G., Trevor, Natalie M., and Caroline F.
Tee Structure Team: Coaches - Ginger Morgan and Ellen Powis; Students - Jack C., Andrew F., Andrew M., Reed M., Spencer M., Haley O., and Robert P.
The Eccentrics Team: Coaches - Brianna Schneider and Karen Schneidermayer; Students - Nicholas C., Jessie F., Diana J, David Martens, Alexandra N., Annabel S., and Michaela S.
Friday, February 15th, 2008
This past Saturday, four of the six Darien Odyssey of the Mind judges completed their training — Lee Strecker, Department Chair of Tech Ed at Darien High School, David Martens, a parent of one of the participating students, Lindsay McKinnon, a Language Arts teacher at Middlesex Middle School, and Lisa Welp, Postdoctoral Research Associate in Yale University’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and wife of Darien High School teacher, Gregory Smith. Two other judges — Jeromy Nelson and Richard Reynolds, both Tech Ed teachers at Darien High School — will complete their training on February 23. In order for Odyssey of the Mind teams to register to compete in the CT Tournament [Finals] on March 15, each needed to provide a judge [we provided an extra one.] The judge is required to take part in a special training that will allow them to assess the performance of teams during the CT Tournament. Each judge has been assigned a specific problem to judge, and some will be judging the spontaneous problem-solving. We thank these dedicated professionals for their commitment to this program and to our students and for making themselves available on a weekend.
Wednesday, February 13th, 2008
The Wonderful Muses Team was all smiles on Odyssey Day which took place at North Haven Middle School this past fall. They had the opportunity to learn many new skills that they will use in their team problem solution for the March 15 CT Tournament. But the most fun was probably meeting students from many other CT schools. Here they are taking a break with some of them. Included in the picture are Caroline F., Natalie M., Caroline G., Meghan G., Nicole G., Trevor M., and James F. [Click on the photograph to enlarge it.]
Tuesday, February 12th, 2008
Here are Natalie M., Caroline F., and Meghan G., members of The Wonderful Muses Team, working out a solution to a hands-on spontaneous problem. Hands-on is one of the three types of spontaneous problems. The other two are verbal and verbal/hands-on. [Click on the photograph to enlarge it.]
Tuesday, February 12th, 2008
Members of the Wonderful Muses Team — Caroline G., Meghan G., Natalie M., Nicole G., and Caroline F. — ponder their solution to one of the spontaneous problems they were given to solve during the Spontanous Scrimmage at North Haven Middle School in North Haven, CT this past Saturday, February 9. All seven members of the team, including James F. and Trevor M., have been participating in the spontaneous problem-solving activities during team meetings. Only five members of a team are permitted to participate in any one of the spontaneous problem-solving rounds during the Scrimmage or the CT Tournament. [Click on photograph to enlarge it.]
Thursday, February 7th, 2008
All five Odyssey of the Mind teams — Odyssey Road Rally, Dinostories, The Wonderful Muses, Tee Structure, and The Eccentrics — will be participating this Saturday, February 9, in the Spontaneous Scrimmage — a state-wide competition for students from schools all across Connecticut — at North Haven Middle School in North Haven, CT. They have been preparing for this day by practicing different types of spontaneous problems during their afterschool team meetings, including verbals and hands-on. If you would llke more information about spontaneous problem-solving, the Connecticut Odyssey of the Mind website has a link to its CTOM Spon Zone with links to information about spontaneous problem-solving, examples, how to hold a scrimmage, etc. You will also find resources for this type of activity on this website under Links to Resources for Coaches in the right sidebar.
Thursday, January 31st, 2008
Isabel L. and Henry K., two sixth grade members of the Dinostories Team, are deep in concentration as they begin co-writing parts of the script for the performance part of their Odyssey problem solution. The other five members of this team not shown — Aastha N., Tanner S., Lily S., Ali M., and Lila S. — are also busy at work researching and co-writing the script. The team will present this performance with their team members on Saturday, March 15, as part of the CT Tournament. Schools from the whole state of Connecticut will be performing that day, too. It should be challenging, but so much fun!!! [Click on the photograph to enlarge it.]
Wednesday, January 30th, 2008
Several members of the Odyssey Road Rally Team – Caroline W., Nick P., Fay R., Jay P., and Colten A. are practicing their spontaneous problem-solving skills in preparation for the upcoming Spontaneous Scrimmage on Saturday, February 9, at North Haven Middle School in North Haven, CT. There they will be challenged to demonstrate their spontaneous problem- solving skills with students from the whole state of Connecticut. During team meetings each team member has the opportunity to present their own solution to a problem that has been given to the group. [Cameron V. and Will R., although not present in this photograph, have been involved in these meetings, too. [Click on photograph to enlarge it.]
Monday, January 28th, 2008
Jack C., Spencer M. Robert P., and Andrew M., members of the Tee Structure Team, are engaged in some collaborative problem-solving with balsa wood structures that will help them to design and build their project for the Odyssey of the Mind CT Tournament in March. All seven members of this team [including those not in this photograph - Haley O., Andrew F., and Reed M.] have been brainstorming, designing, building, and testing various structures over the past several months. What they are learning will help them develop their final problem-solution. [Click on the photograph to enlarge it.]
Tuesday, January 15th, 2008
Odyssey of the Mind teams have been practicing their spontaneous problem-solving skills, and will have the opportunity to put these skills to the test soon. On Saturday, February 9, they will be participating in Spontaneous Scrimmages with other teams from around Connecticut. The Scrimmages will be held at the North Haven Middle School in North Haven, CT. Three of our teams will be participating in the morning session, and two in the afteroon. Wish our teams luck!
Spontaneous Scrimmage:
The Spontaneous Problem is the part of the program where the team is presented a problem they have never seen before and must solve in 8 minutes. The Scrimmage is part of the training of the Spontaneous Judges, where judges can practice the skills they learn in the morning with actual teams. Although it is a good time for teams to practice spontaneous, it is primarily to train the judges. Teams have the opportunity to try 5 different spontaneous problems, which aren’t scored. Judges may practice scoring but the results don’t mean anything as the required consistency is not part of the scrimmage, as it is during the competition. [From the Connecticut Odyssey of the Mind Website http://www.ctom.org]
Tuesday, December 18th, 2007
Five Odyssey of the Mind teams are registered to compete in the CT Tourney [Finals] on Saturday, March 15 - Odyssey Road Rally, Dinostories, Wonderful Muses, Tee Structure, and Eccentrics! From now until March 15, these teams will be hard at work - yet having great fun - as they work out the solutions to their formal problems. If you want to learn what those problems are, please click here for the problem synopses. Team members will also be practicing their spontaneous problem-solving skills in preparation for a Spontaneous Scrimmage on Saturday, February 9, 2008.
