Sheila O’Hare Barrows
Nicole Carlson
Jacklyn Pereira
Carteret Middle School
732-541-8960
Carteret, New Jersey May 26, 2018 — A team of seven (7) students from Carteret Middle School were Regional Champions and State Finalists for Odyssey of the Mind that qualified for the World Finals! Odyssey of the Mind is an international creativity competition that helps students develop skills in problem solving, critical thinking, teamwork, math, language arts, science, writing, engineering, and the performing arts. Over 20,000 students and supporters from around the world traveled to Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa for the 39th annual Odyssey of the Mind World Finals from May 23-26. Students, coaches, and volunteers from different cultures and widely varying economic backgrounds did their best to prove that creativity is universal by coming together for this event. They demonstrated their creative solution to an Odyssey of the Mind problem while appreciating the creativity of others. (http://www.odysseyofthemind.com).
Each year, teams of 5-7 students choose from five different problems to solve. This year, the team from Carteret Middle School chose Problem 2, Emoji, Speak for Yourself. For this problem, the team created three-dimensional emojis that were to be used to communicate the life story of a once famous, but now forgotten, emoji. Teams designed a performance where the emojis had to demonstrate special functions like growing, turning into a team member, and changing into a different emoji. Performances also include a choreographed dance, a technical representation of texting, and sounds to enhance the performance. The twist? No spoken language is allowed! They wrote an original script, created all of their
own props, scenery, and costumes, and learned about teamwork and creativity along the way!
With over 850 teams from 26 countries, Poland, India, Russia, Mexico, Canada, China, South Korea to name a few, and over 15 different states within the United States competed in the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals at Iowa State University. This team’s hard work, endless dedication, and heart-filled motivation is beyond commendable! Competing against dozens of seasoned teams in their division, our own Carteret Middle School OoTM team placed 6th!
We deeply appreciate all of the assistance and help provided along our journey. Your donations and support went a long way towards providing these talented students with a once in a lifetime opportunity to showcase their talents, meet students from other countries, and proudly represent Carteret at an international venue. Thank you!!
Republished with permission from the Carteret School District.
