From ArtSpace Charter School:
On Saturday, April 5th, ArtSpace (ACS) sent a team of 7th and 8th graders to Wingate University to participate in the North Carolina state Odyssey of the Mind (OM) competition. The ACS OM team included 8th graders Maggie Groetsch, Dakota McKnight and Chloe Mason along with 7th graders Donner Rizzo-Banks, Raynn DeWilde, Audrey Walsh and Gabriel Dimenna. The team was led by Teaching Assistant Hal Smith, who won the coveted “OM-er” award at regionals for his excellent coaching.
“Odyssey of the Mind is a great opportunity to combine fun and challenge in a group setting,” said Smith. “This team had a terrific combination of group dynamics and leadership.”
With 150 teams competing in a number of categories and age groups, the competition was fierce. However, students found time to connect with other groups and attend their performances.
“My favorite part was seeing the ideas of other teams,” said 8th grader Maggie Groetsch, “because you know your own experience and could tell how theirs related.”
The team spent many months in preparation, creating and rehearsing a play after school and on Saturdays. The preparation was essential because an OM challenge is no simple matter. Members performed a prepared piece, in addition to a “Spontaneous,” where team members must find creative solutions to complex problem on the spot.
“We connected with another team while we waited for our Spontaneous,” said Groetsch, “you never know what might come up, so they were nervous and we were nervous.”
Though team ACS may have been nervous, at the end of the day they won 4th place in the state! This is the highest ranking ACS has reached in OM competitions, and the staff, students and community are incredibly proud of their achievement.
Their excellent season helps returning 7th graders, like Audrey Walsh, feel more confident about next year. “Even though we worked hard I wasn’t that confident about regionals. Then we won first place, and went to state and got 4th, so I am very excited for next year.”
As the school year comes to a close, ACS looks forward to another great year and another successful Odyssey of the Mind season.
Keep up with all the exciting goings on at ArtSpace by visiting the website at www.artspacecharter.org .
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