Questar III’s Region 4 Odyssey of the Mind tournament will be held Saturday, March 7 at Algonquin Middle School in Averill Park. The tournament consists of 106 teams from schools in Rensselaer, Columbia and Greene counties – the largest tournament the BOCES has ever organized. This is the second year in a row that the record has been broken, with 19 percent more teams registered this year than last year.
Odyssey of the Mind is an international program with a mission to teach students how to solve problems creatively. It encourages them to use their imagination and learn the importance of working as a team.
“This tournament is always a wonderful culmination for students of many months of hard work, brainstorming and creative problem solving as a team,” said tournament coordinator Arlene Sampson. ”Many students discover for the first time that they can really speak in front of an audience, or paint a backdrop or build a structure that holds hundreds of pounds. These are skills they will use for the rest of their lives. It is rewarding to know that the Odyssey of the Mind program can have such an impact,” she added.
Registration for the daylong competition begins at 7:30 a.m. and performances are from 8:10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The awards ceremony will begin at approximately 5:30 p.m.
At least one team from Rensselaer, Columbia, or Greene County has advanced to the World Finals every year since 2007, including 13 in the past five years alone, with four advancing in 2013, and three in 2014.
Teams are challenged to provide original and creative solutions to open ended problems and perform them in just eight minutes. One of this year’s problems requires the team to build and operate one or more vehicles that will travel on tracks and make stops at different stations without touching the floor. Volunteer judges score the team for creativity.
Teams with the highest scores will go on to the state tournament in Binghamton on April 11, and, should they place first or second in their age group, they will advance to the World Tournament at Michigan State University May 28-31.
In order to assure that all participants, their families and friends will have a safe and enriching Odyssey experience, please note the following:
Parking: Due to limited parking, parking at Algonquin Middle School will be by permit only. Shuttle buses will run between 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. to and from Miller Hill Elementary School on Miller Hill Road and the Sand Lake Center for the Arts on Route 43. By order of the New York State Police, parking will not be allowed on Routes 66 or 351.
Food: Food will be provided by the “Friends of Algonquin Athletics”.
Weather: In case of inclement weather, the tournament will either be delayed or be held on Sunday, March 9. Please check local radio and TV stations for an announcement.
For additional information on the Odyssey of the Mind Program, visit this link
Contact:
Nancy Bush, Region 4 Tournament Director at 518-527-6010
or
Arlene Sampson, Director, Region 4 Odyssey of the Mind at 518-573-9104
