March 20, 2003

Cerebral competition

East Junior High site of regional Odyssey of the Mind tournament

By Carol South
Special to the Herald
       A cardboard model of the Kremlin, costumes of every imaginable theme, an eight-foot long Q-Tip and a singing Mount Rushmore. There could only be one explanation for this odd assembly of items - it must be Odyssey of the Mind.
      More than 800 students comprising 110 teams descended on East Junior High School Saturday for the Odyssey of the Mind Region 3 Tournament. Teams competed to solve problems or present skits in the following categories: A Scene From Above, Know-It-All, Classics - Put a Spin On It, Odd Pod Structure, Fooled Ya!, Music Lessons and Spontaneous. Winners of the regional tournament will compete on April 26 at the State Tournament in Kentwood, Mich.
      For participants, the weeks and months of thinking creatively and as a team came to fruition Saturday.
      "We created a character called a Fronkee," said Janelle Spires, a sixth-grade student at Mancelona Middle School participating with her team in the Know It All category. "He swings from vines and answers questions."
      The Mancelona team has been together for two years and before they performed their skit, some members reflected on what they learn from participating in Odyssey.
      "The hardest part is trying to agree with team leaders," said Maggie Sajnahan, a sixth-grade student from Mancelona. "There are seven on our team and we learn a lot about teamwork."
      Many Odyssey of the Mind teams form in elementary school and stay together for years. They compete and grow together as they traverse the divisions from I, elementary school age, to II, middle school age, to III, high school age.
      Most members of West Junior High School Team B have been together for five years, with one team member participating in Odyssey competitions for eight years. The team's energetic, creative presentation took first place in Division II of Classics - Put a Spin On It.
      They told a story of Mount Rushmore's creation in a few creative ways, before weaving the real history of the site into their narrative. Using a Scooby- Doo theme, team members created a paper mache version of the famous presidential monument as well as a variety of other cardboard props.
      "We had to have a prop that changes during the spin session," noted Jessica Oakley, a seventh-grade student new to the team this year.
      Presenting an Odyssey of the Mind competition is a huge logistical undertaking. Tournament director Karen Nielsen has been at the helm for five years and is unflappable throughout the day of organized chaos. She was ably assisted by more than 100 volunteers, 148 judges and some Boy Scouts, who helped with prop delivery and pick up.
      Nielsen initially got involved because her kids were in the program for years. She remained a volunteer after they left because of the benefits she sees for kids who participate.
      "It is a neat program, it really is," said Nielsen, whose daughter is now a judge and son helps in the prop room. "School is structured, where students are told what to do, but here kids never know what they are going to do and they have to create everything themselves."
      "Once they understand that somebody is not going to tell them to do A, B, C, and D, then they just run with it," she noted.
      West High School drama teacher Kristie Bach relishes her role as an Odyssey of the Mind coach. However, this role is very different from her duties as a teacher and she frequently reminds herself to keep quiet.
      "In Division III the coach is allowed to do virtually nothing, not even fill out the forms, and the hardest part is not to say anything," Bach said. "In acting, as a teacher, I'm allowed to say, 'You need to do more of this or less of that.' But you can't do that in Odyssey, you have to ask questions so they find their own answer."
      Her team went on to world competition last year but this year did not make it to states. Despite this letdown for team members, she said it has been a valuable endeavor.
      "They have so much fun doing it and learn so much from doing it, it really is a worthwhile thing," she noted.