Help send us to Odyssey of the Mind World Finals

An Invitation to World Finals

After its first place finish, the Division I Odyssey of the Mind team from Hamilton Avenue school has been invited to attend the World Finals in Ames, Iowa in late May. This is the 4th time that a team from Hamilton Avenue participated in the World Finals, but for 5 of our team members, this is the first time they will be attending. These students have worked hard all year and are excited to be representing Connecticut as they compete against passionate and creative students from around the world. Our school community and their parents all very much want these 7 hard working students to be able to attend World Finals and have the experience they have worked so hard to earn. In order to attend we need to raise funds to pay for food, housing and transportation to Iowa. The cost for each student to attend is about $1,500.

Learning from Odyssey of the Mind

For the past eight years students at Hamilton Avenue School have had the opportunity to participate in Odyssey of the Mind, an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college. Odyssey of the Mind is a learning experience which has helped our students develop skills that will last a lifetime. Students have learned to cooperate and respect the ideas of others, and to evaluate ideas and make decisions on their own. Our students have gained greater self-confidence and increased self-esteem through their hard work. In addition, they work within a budget, so they learn to manage their money. Students see that there is often more than one way to solve a problem, and that sometimes the process is more important than the end result.

How You Can Help

We have a long way to go to reach our goal of $10,000 to send the students and their coach to the World Finals in Iowa. We are organizing fundraisers at the school and in the local community, and have received donations from many of our teachers but we need your help to meet our goal.

The Costs

The cost of housing at World Finals is $700 for each student. In addition to housing, we need to pay for food, airfare, and ground transportation. The total cost per student and coach is about $1,500 each.

An Experience to Remember

The chance to go to the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals in Iowa will be a life changing and inspiring experience these students will remember for the rest of their lives. Any financial support you can provide our team would be greatly appreciated. Please help our children reach their goal and go to the World Finals.