Students Advance to State Competition

In Odyssey of the Mind

By: Ann McCall

Public Information Coordinator

Franklin Township Board of Education

732-873-2400 Ext 290

amccall@franklinboe.org

Students from Elizabeth Avenue School in Franklin Township won a local “Odyssey Of The Mind” competition and are on their way to the State Finals on Saturday April 9^th. This is the second year that Elizabeth Avenue students have entered this competition and last year they received an Honorable Mention for their efforts. This year, both teams, comprised of 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th grade students, won and are now on their way to the State Finals in Piscataway.

“Odyssey Of The Mind” is a competition that asks questions in a way that encourages creativity. The questions that are asked in competition are open ended – or divergent - that leave room for unusual thinking and creative solutions. By stating the problem in a different way, this format allows for more unusual solutions. More unusual thinking creates problem solvers and problem solvers create a better place to live.

Divergent problems are the type of problems that the Elizabeth Avenue School’s Gifted and Talented program, mentored by teacher James DeMaio, has been built upon. Nurturing creativity has been the main stay of that program. In the G & T program, Mr. DeMaio has developed a wide range of divergent problems where students are presented with a problem, given a materials list and the “you must” statement, then students can solve the problem anyway they can using anything they wish. Students come up with clever responses, not just those expected or required. Unconventional thinking is encouraged and rewarded.

The State Finals for the “Odyssey of the Mind” will be held at Ewing High School in Piscataway, NJ, on Saturday April 9^th. If the students win in this State Final, they will then go to the University of Colorado for the “Worlds” Competition.

For more information on “Odyssey of the Mind” you can log onto their website at www.odysseyofthemind.com. For more information regarding the Elizabeth Avenue Students, please contact Ann McCall, Public Information Coordinator for Franklin Township Board of Education at 732-873-2400 Ext 290 or amccall@franklinboe.org, or you may contact James DeMaio, Advisor to the Elizabeth Avenue Students at 732-356-0113 or e-mail him at jdemaio@franklinboe.org.