A team of fifth graders from Douglas MacArthur Elementary School and a team of seventh graders from George Washington Middle School will compete in the World Finals of the Odyssey of the Mind (OM) competition at Michigan State, May 24 – 27. This is the first time any school from ACPS has placed at States and subsequently qualified for World Finals, where approximately 825 teams from more than 20 countries compete.
In an interesting twist, there four sets of siblings split across the two teams:
| MacArthur Team (formed in 2013) | G.W. Team (formed in 2011) |
| Henry Anderson | Savannah Anderson |
| Keira Bosland | Cooper Bosland |
| Tate Fagan | Zach Bosland |
| Miriam Gortner | Cassie Gortner |
| Walker Kopp | Ethan Gotsch |
| Anna Moulthrop | Ava Moulthrop |
| Cade Stinson |
We were blown away when we found out that we placed first in our division. It’s amazing to see how kids are able to think outside the box when given the opportunity. OM teaches them how to look at problems from different angles, and they learn that there are many ways to solve a given problem,” said Eve Anderson, coach of the fifth-grade team.
Both teams tackled the “To Be Continued: A Superhero Cliffhanger” performance problem in their respective divisions (K-5 and 6-8). Teams worked over the course of several months to create and present a humorous performance about an unexpected superhero that encounters three different situations where the superhero must save creativity in some way. The superhero had to change appearance when displaying superpowers and had to blend in with society when not. The performance also had to include a clumsy sidekick, a nemesis character, a choreographed battle, and a cliffhanger ending — all in under eight minutes and at a cost of no more than $145 for materials.
In the last six years, this team has advanced to the state level four times, but this is this first time they’ve made it to the World Finals. The kids put a ton of time and effort into Odyssey, working together on weekends and after school to bring their ideas to life. They’ve formed a strong bond as a team, and over the years they’ve learned new ways to collaborate and work toward a common goal,” said G.W. Seventh Grade Team Co-Coach Patrice Gotsch.
Founded in 1978, Odyssey of the Mind is an international competition that challenges teams to go beyond conventional thinking and engage in creative problem-solving. Team members spend months working together to apply their creativity, knowledge, and talents to solve problems that range from designing and building vehicles, to presenting their own interpretation of classic artwork, to scripting comedic performances that involve complex costume and scene changes. Team members work on their problem without outside assistance from parents, teachers, coaches, or other students.