Eastside’s Magee Middle School is getting ready for the World Finals of “Odyssey of the Mind” (OM).
OM is a competition focused on creative problem solving where students work find solutions to five different prompts.
Take a look at this year’s problems here.
For the last 21 years, the Magee team has made it to World Finals, and brought home countless trophies. They compete against teams from all 50 states and 30 other countries.
Magee’s Head Coach Marjorie Letson said the skills her students learn go far beyond the competition.
“They learn how to take a problem, work as team, solve it to the best of their ability and not give up,” Letson explained.
“It really shows them creativity and perseverance, and combining that makes the leaders of the future. I’m really proud of them.”
Sam Micklus founded Odyssey on the belief that learning should be fun. The concept developed from his industrial design classes at Rowan University in the 70s.
The problems posed each year require the participants to use creativity, science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math in their strategies.
8th grader Emalynn Bone, who’s in her third year competing in OM, said she’s build a lot of relationships throughout her time in the program.
Isabel Szlemko, a fellow 8th grader and OM third-timer, said she’s also developed valuable skills, like woodworking and painting.
As for World Finals she said, “It’s interesting to see how everyone interprets the same written problem. These are the best teams from every state and every country.”
The Magee team leaves on Sunday for the World Finals hosted at Iowa State University.