"Odyssey is all about problem-solving and our sixth-grade team did a fantastic job during their performance," said Christina Schwarz, co-coach for Atkinson’s teams. "Their scenery kept falling down and instead of letting it get the best of them, they quickly worked together and figured out a way to perform while keeping the scenery intact at the same time. We’re very proud of both of our teams."
Odyssey of the Mind is a highly creative educational program that provides students with opportunities to solve various open-ended problems — from the technical to the artistic. Many of the problems involve costumes, scenery, a script and something that the students have to build themselves. Teams first compete on the regional level and can move up to the state and international competitions.
The regional event, sponsored by Nassau BOCES, attracted 70 teams from across Long Island that were judged on how well they solved and presented one of six problems.
All three Freeport teams chose to solve the problem, "The Eccentrics!," which required teams to create and present a humorous performance about three eccentric characters that demonstrate odd behavior, peculiar mannerisms and unconventional dress. The performance had to include a team-created problem involving the Earth system such as the atmosphere, biosphere and cryoshere that the eccentrics had to solve. As a reward, they had to have a celebration in their honor and launch a new fad.
The fifth-grade Atkinson team competed on the Division I level while the Dodd and sixth-grade Atkinson team competed on the Division II level. Dodd’s team, coached by Erin O’Connor and Kerry Hobel, focused on the affects of acid rain on the planet. Its members included Treavond Brown, Rasheem Martin, Shannon Jewels, Tywain Taylor and Dawnielle Gibson.
Along with Schwarz, Atkinson’s teams were coached by Carrie Frederick. The sixth-grade team solved the problem of overfishing in the hydrosphere. The team consisted of four veteran members, three of whom placed first at the regionals last year — Unique Boyd, Sarah King and Matthew Waldhof. Other members of the team were Louis Breland, Alyssa Ford, Jessica McQuillan and Erick Romero-Dinarte. The fifth-grade team addressed the problem of deforestation in the biosphere. Its members were Hannah Ocasio, Leah Breland, Isaac Diaz, Donald Luft, Abigail Momplaisir, Teasia Moore and Jahnyah Roberts.
Freeport Public Schools is a diverse, innovative district on Long Island’s South Shore serving about 6,750 students in grades Pre-K through 12. The district and its eight schools take pride in having the region’s only magnet schools of choice, a longstanding and award-winning classroom English/Spanish Dual Language Program, and a high school where students excel in competitions that include the regional Academic Challenge, Odyssey of the Mind and Future Problem Solving International. The district’s New Visions School of Exploration and Discovery has been named a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education for its high student performance and engaging curriculum. |
