Odyssey of the Mind

THANKS FOR A GREAT SEASON!!!

Middle School Team at the state tournament 8th place finish!

CONGRATS!

In the Odyssey of the Mind . . .

  • Students develop team-building skills by working in groups of as many as seven students per team.

  • Students learn to examine problems and to identify the real challenge without limiting the possible solutions and their potential success.

  • The creative-thinking process is nurtured and developed as a problem-solving tool.

  • Students of all types will find something that will appeal to them.

  • The fun of participation leads to an elevated interest in regular classroom curricula.

  • Teachers have a program to further provide students with a well-rounded education.

A Brief History

The Odyssey of the Mind has its roots in the Industrial Design classes of Dr. Sam Micklus, Odyssey of the Mind founder. As a professor at Rowan University in New Jersey (formerly Glassboro State College) Dr. Micklus challenged his students to create vehicles without wheels, mechanical pie throwers and flotation devices that would take them across a course on a lake. He evaluated them not on the success of their solutions, but on the ingenuity applied and the risk involved in trying something new and different. Students had fun. Word spread and the students' activities attracted attention from the local media. Soon, people on the outside wanted a part of the action. This public interest led to the development of a creative problem-solving competition for school children. The Odyssey of the Mind was on its way. Since then, Dr. Micklus's life has been happily consumed with developing problems for other people to solve. His rewards are in the joy and pride of the millions of participants who rise to the challenge of solving those problems.

Odyssey of the Mind Website