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A Tale of Two Tales
NoMa STEAM could not be more proud of the students who represented WJ Keenan High school at the South Carolina Odyssey of the Mind Tournament on Saturday, March 4, 2023. This year's competition was held at Spartanburg Preparatory Academy and showcased schools from all over the state of South Carolina. Keenan's students competed in four of the five problems that are designed to ignite critical thinking skills in a creative, yet extraordinary way. Long-term problems require students to compose short skits containing a myriad of details that may not ordinarily connect. Teams design and build props and costumes to illustrate their original story line. The short-term problems require the students to think quickly while building structures, completing analogies or making unique connections between objects or words while thinking outside-the-box to answer seemingly simple questions. The more unusual or creative the response, the better. These two teams emerged with the highest raw scores among all competitors in this year's competition.
Problem #3 Classics...The Walls of Troy
Problem #3 Classics...The Walls of Troy
Students in Problem #3 were required to retell the story of Troy. Not only did they do that, but they met every single one of the objectives. Narrators told the story of the infamous feud of jealousy between Menelaus, prince of Sparta, and Paris, prince of Troy. The story dates back to their high school years, where they both fought over the beautiful Helen of Argos. Paris overcame many obstacles to win Helen over, but he faced Menelaus again in a battle at the end.
Although the team was hassled by the judges regarding an optional document that was inadvertently omitted from the packet, the team still managed to come out on top. This group of OMers earned more points in their raw score than any other teams competing. This speaks to their experience and familiarity with the OM process and rules since they have appeared on stage together for more than five years. They were confident, creative and coordinated through each event of the day.
Problem #5 The Most Dramatic
Problem #5 The Most Dramatic
Problem Ever!!!
Problem Ever!!!
In Problem #5, the team was challenged to tell a story using the themes of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf". The storyline required the inclusion of humorous jokes and a live science experiment using baking soda. As scientists went about completing their daily tasks and chores, a colleague warns of their impending doom. Only there was no reason for alarm until a celestial object threatened to destroy the space station that they called home. Unfortunately, the group of geeks had grown immune to the frequent false warnings of their quirky colleague, so they opted to ignore her pleas to look toward the sky and take cover as danger approached.
The OMers in Team B are a mixed group. Three of the members have competed in this worldwide competition for at least four years. Like their team mates of Problem #3, they have represented the state of South Carolina at World's Finals multiple times in the elementary division. In contrast, the remaining three team members are brand new to this critical thinking program. It will be interesting to see how this group evolves overtime.
Students creating a prop cupcake to use as style points in competition.
Students crafting a replica lyre to use as style points in competition.
Students painting water barrels to use as a spaceship membership sign in competition.
These teams truly exemplified the true essence of Odyssey of the Mind by displaying individual and team efficacy. One of the four teams from Keenan have been competing together under the guidance of their volunteer Coach Shawnita Abernathy since they were second graders at Greenview Elementary School. The team first represented the State of South Carolina at World’s Finals in 2015 and returned each year until the pandemic halted travel for everyone. This year, these OMers are excited to be able to compete once again, and they are eager for the chance to travel to Michigan State University in East Lansing. The competition is scheduled for May 23-27, 2023 when teams from all over the world will gather to display their creativity in a quest for the title of World’s Champion in their respective divisions. The last time the team made it to the Odyssey of the Mind World's Finals, they ranked number 16 of 63 teams competing in their division.
Students working on backdrop, set design and props to make sure everything is in order for competition.
Students, Parents, and Coaches in Problems #3 and #5 were all smiles as they showcased their certificates, medals, and trophies.
Students completing a final fitting of costumes and other decal design, to make sure there were no other changes, before packing them away for competition.
About the Authors: Jaeden Middleton is an aspiring engineer who is a coder and technician for Team 9315 Coding Comets Robotics Team. He is a member of numerous afterschool activities was selected as a 2023 Delegate to the Congress of Future Medical Leaders. Jaelah Middleton is a ninth grader who aspires to be a professional musician. She has been competing with OM since second grade and is actively involved in at least ten different extracurricular activities that continue to develop her leadership potential.
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