This Bright School Odyssey of the Mind team placed first in the statewide Division I competition in Knoxville held Saturday. First row, from left: Tyler Thorn, Banks Griffin, Katie Greer and Mary Margaret Copler.
Second Row: Wanda Taintor, Bright School Enrichment Teacher; Becca Gomberg, Elizabeth Rhoton, Chase Beard and Joel Beard, Coach.
Bright School may be a newcomer to the Odyssey of the Mind program, but two recent Division I State awards show the elementary school students are ready for the competition.
Two Bright School teams competed in the state-wide Odyssey of the Mind Competition held at the UT Conference Center in Knoxville on Saturday.
Coordinated by Bright School Enrichment Teacher Wanda Taintor, it marked the elementary school’s first foray into OOM competition.
The team coached by parent Joel Beard placed first in Division I with their long-term problem solution to the NASA-sponsored “A Scene From Above.” Team members included Becca Gomberg, Elizabeth Rhoton, Tyler Thorn, Banks Griffin, Katie Greer, Mary Margaret Copler and Chase Beard.
A second team coached by parent Julie Harman finished third with their creative Easter Island imagery in “Put a Spin On It.” Team members included Erin Rhoton, Parker Mallchok, Mary Woodruff Griffin, Kimmi Willis, Emily Hamblen, Hagan Harman, and Mallory Vaughn.
Odyssey of the Mind is a program that fosters creative thinking and problem-solving skills among participating students from kindergarten through college. It features an annual competition at local through international levels. Students solve problems in a variety of areas, from building mechanical devices such as spring-driven vehicles to providing their own interpretation of literary classics.
The OOM program 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, Dr. Micklus challenged his students to learn creative problem-solving methods. 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.
Bright School enrolls 370 students in prekindergarten through grade 5. It is located in the Riverview area of North Chattanooga.
For more information, contact the school at (423) 267-8546.
Creative Easter Island imagery led this Bright School OOM team to a third place finish in the statewide Division I competition. Row 1, from left: Emily Hamblen, Mallory Vaughn, and Hagan Harman. Row 2: Mary Woodruff Griffin, Erin Rhoton, Parker Mallchok, and Kimmi Willis. Row 3: Coach Julie Harman and Bright School Enrichment Teacher Wanda Taintor.