The Alternative Press

Twenty-seven Westfield elementary school students competed in Division I (Grades 3-5) of the Liberty Regional (Northern New Jersey) Odyssey of the Mind tournament, held Saturday, March 2, 2013, in Somerset, New Jersey. Ranging from third grade to fifth grade and representing all six Westfield elementary schools, the students are part of the Westfield Public Schools Gifted & Talented program based at Edison Intermediate School.

An Odyssey of the Mind tournament is a two-part creative problem solving competition. Each team of students tackles a separate "Long Term" question, presenting their solution in a short live action play, as well as used their quick thinking skills in providing solutions to a theoretical situation in a "Spontaneous" portion. Students worked under the guidance of parent coaches for nearly six months to prepare their Long Term presentations, building sets and creating costumes within a small budget, as well as writing scripts and rehearsing. Along the way they learned about teamwork, respect, sportsmanship, perseverance and hard work.  

Westfield teams earned first place honors at the Liberty Regional competition in "The Email Must Go Through" (out of four teams) and "It's How You Look at It" (out of 14 teams) categories. The Westfield team working in the "ARTchitecture" category ranked third out of seven teams and the "Pet Project" team finished fifth among 10 competitors. (Team rosters and coaches are listed below.)

Teams finishing first through third advance to the New Jersey Odyssey of the Mind state finals competition set for April 13 in Ewing, New Jersey, where they will compete against winners of the March 16 Lighthouse Regional (Southern New Jersey) tournament. The top two teams in each category of that competition will advance to the World Finals on May 21 in Lansing, Michigan.

For more information, including Liberty Regional results, visit the Odyssey of the Mind website: www.njootm.org