Odyssey of the Mind World Finals!

On March 19, the Connecticut Odyssey of the Mind (OM) State Tournament took place at Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU).

 

Tomlinson Middle School had one team participate in this year’s competition, and they won 1st place in their division! The team, headed by coach Karen Anahory, was in Division 2 which is for grades 6-8. Eighth grade team members Jack Anahory, Vaden Thakkar, Anshul Sinha, Anshika Sinha, Henry Quinn, Carlo Desy, and Eram Alaba, tackled problem 3: Classics (Name Here): The Musical Production.

 They worked together for months to solve a long-term problem (in an original musical production of the life of ground-breaking chemist Alice Ball) which they performed live in eight minutes in front of a panel of judges. The student members wrote the skit, built their sets out of recycled materials and designed and created their costumes. The team was also given a time-limited hands-on STEM problem to solve during competition, which they aced, receiving the highest points for that problem. It is the true educational embodiment of all STEM curriculum.

 

Our team will be headed to the World Finals at Iowa State University, in Ames, Iowa this May. 850 teams from all over the world will be competing, and our students and coaches will be representing Tomlinson Middle School, and all of Connecticut, at the competition. The trip is not cheap. It will cost approximately $20,000 to participate, which includes:

 

• Transportation for the children, their coach, and parents

• Room and board on the campus at Iowa State University

 

• Transportation for the large (and essential) props to Iowa

 

We are asking for help from our community to make this trip possible - no amount is too small. All funds will go directly to helping our students participate in this opportunity that highlights our town and our schools. Hopefully it will also prompt many more students in Fairfield to create their own Odyssey teams!

 

For more information about Odyssey of the Mind, please visit https://www.odysseyofthemind.com/.

 

We thank you in advance for any support you can give, and look forward to sharing our Odyssey journey with you!!