Students from Capital Region BOCES (CRB) and Questar III BOCES component school districts put their skills to the test at the Odyssey of the Mind (OM) regional tournament.
More than 650 students between both regions participated in the region 7 (CRB) and region 4 (Questar III BOCES) joint tournament on Saturday, Feb 28. The event was held at Coxsackie-Athens Central School District, about 30 minutes outside of Albany.
OM is a program offered through our Educational Support Services (ESS) division that challenges students to creatively solve open-ended, hands-on problems over several months. In teams of up to seven members, students work independently of coaches to foster teamwork, divergent thinking, and self-confidence, culminating in regional, state, and world-level competitions.
Students chose one long-term problem to solve within the following categories: Vehicle, Technical, Classics, Structure, Performance; and a primary problem for learners in kindergarten through second grade.
“This is my first year coaching primary. I’ve coached middle school and high school, so it’s super exciting to watch the little kids and how much work they’ve put into it. They’re learning how to work as a team and have unlocked some creative parts of their brain,” said Stevie Savignano, an OM coach at Bethlehem Central School District (CSD). “It’s been really cool to watch them put it all together. I like watching the second graders really take the lead and kind of guide the kindergartens to their solution. It’s eye-opening to me because my daughter is a second grader so to me she’s just a baby, but watching them take the lead has been really surprising.”
Representatives from Duanesburg CSD said what they enjoyed most about OM is seeing their students bounce ideas off of each other.
“The team spirit, the working together, the collaboration–We’ve really watched them grow quite a bit. “Within the last week, everyone found their stride together,” said Andrew Huth, who spoke on behalf of the district.
Rose Ganster, OM coach and Dunesburg district coordinator, said there was an outpouring of interest in the program this year, with over 40 students applying to fill 20 spots.
“This is the second year for quite a few on our team, so it’s really nice to see how they build on their skills and improve this year,” Margaret Rivenburg, who spoke on behalf of the district. “[Even] working with new students on new problems; just to see how proud they are of themselves when they present it to their families,” she said.
We are proud to celebrate students from the region who are advancing to the state finals on March 21 in Syracuse.
- Bethlehem Central School District
Bethlehem Central Middle School – Off the Rails Div II
Bethlehem Central High School – Lost in OMERland Div II
Bethlehem Central High School – Lost in OMERland Div III
Bethlehem Central Middle School (Team A & Team B) – The Epic Quest DivII|
Bethlehem Central Middle School- Life’s a Ball! Div II
Bethlehem Central High School – Life’s a Ball! Div III - Cobleskill-Richmondville Central School District
Cobleskill-Richmondville High School – Lost in OMERland Div I
Cobleskill-Richmondville High School – The Epic Quest Div III
Golding Middle School – Taller Tales of John Jivery Div II - Duanesburg Central School District
Duanesburg Elementary School – Lost in OMERland Div I
Duanesburg Jr/Sr High School – The Epic Quest Div III - Middleburgh Central School District
Middleburgh Elementary School – Lost in OMERland Div II
Middleburgh Elementary School – Lost in OMERland Div II - Scotia-Glenville Central School District
Glendaal Elementary School – Off the Rails Div I
Glendaal Elementary School – Lost in OMERland Div I
Glen-Worden Elementary School – The Epic Quest Div I
Glendaal Elementary School- Taller Tales of John Jivery Div I
- Shenendehowa Central School District
Shenendehowa High School – Off the Rails Div III
Tesago & Skano PTA – The Epic Quest Div I
Tesago & Skano PTA – Life’s a Ball! Div I - South Colonie Central School District
Shaker Road Elementary School – Off the Rails Div I