Release Date: Mar 10, 2005 1:00 AM  

State Tournament Celebrates Silver Anniversary as Students Show Their "Stuff"

Dover, Del. - March 10, 2005 On Saturday, March 12^th, nearly 850 students from public, private and independent schools throughout Delaware will descend onto the campus of the University of Delaware for the largest "Odyssey of the Mind" tournament in its 25 year history. Geared up and ready to solve tough, challenging and unique problems, 120 seven-member teams will appear with their costumes, props and scenery in multiple venues around campus.

Beginning at 8:00 a.m., the annual "Odyssey of the Mind" will once again challenge students to "show their stuff" as they find solutions to various interactive problems such as the "Crazy Columns" balsa wood structure competition to the "Classics…Get the Message" contest. Other problems the competitors will face include "Stunt Mobiles," "In Your Dreams," "Laugh-a-thon," and "Fable-us!" Some students will be tasked with designing and building three columns of different height to hold maximum weight while other teams will attempt to create a new form of communication that describes an Earth system.

The Appoquinimink, Brandywine, Cape Henlopen, Capital, Christina, Indian River, Lake Forest, Milford, Red Clay and Woodbridge school districts will field teams at this year's event. Sussex Tech High School, Charter School of Wilmington, Sussex Academy of Arts and Sciences, Campus Community Charter School, Caravel Academy, St. Anne's Episcopal School, Providence Creek Academy and the Independence School will also send teams to the "Odyssey."

"The 'Odyssey of the Mind' program promotes higher order thinking through child directed learning and interactive participation," said Debora Hansen, Education Associate for Visual and Performing Arts and Gifted and Talented Programs for Delaware's Department of Education. "Students in this program learn to generate multiple solutions to problems and work effectively within a group while adhering to a budget and time constraints."

This year, the primary problem, "Fable-us!," a non-competitive experience for students in grades K-2, will require teams to tell a humorous story with a moral using only animal characters and inanimate objects with human characteristics.

The competitions, locations and times are as follows:

Problem	Location	Time
"Stunt Mobiles"
Division I	New Ark UCC, Main Street	9:00 a.m. - 2:45 p.m.
Division II	New Ark UCC, Main Street	9:45 a.m. - 2:45 p.m.
Division III	New Ark UCC, Main Street	9:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
"In Your Dreams"
Division I	Smith Hall Room 120	8:00 a.m. - 2:50 p.m.
Division II	Smith Hall Room 130	9:20 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Division III	Smith Hall Room 130	8:00 a.m. - 8:45 a.m.
"Classics…Get the Message"
Division I	Willard Hall Room 007	8:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.
Division II	Willard Hall Room 007	10:05 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.
Division III	Willard Hall Room 007	12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
"Crazy Columns"
Division I	Trabant Student Center C	11:10 a.m. - 1:50 p.m.
Division II	Trabant Student Center C	9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Division III	Trabant Student Center C	9:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
"Laugh-a-thon"
Division I	Smith Hall Room 140	8:00 a.m. - 3:15 p.m.
Division II	Purnell Hall Room 115	8:30 a.m. - 11:05 a.m.
Division III	Purnell Hall Room 115	12:25 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
"Fable-us!"
	Smith Hall Room 209	8:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

The closing awards ceremonies and celebrations for the Division I and Primary participants will be held at the Trabant Center beginning at 5:00 p.m. Division II and Division III award ceremonies will follow in the Trabant Center at approximately 6:15 p.m.

Please contact Debora Hansen on cell phone at (302) 270-8538 the day of the event.

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Delaware's Department of Education is committed to promoting the highest quality education for every Delaware student by providing visionary leadership and superior service.	Contact Info. Alison Kepner Delaware Department of Education 401 Federal Street, Suite #2 Dover, Delaware 19901 Phone: (302) 735-4035 Fax: (302) 739-4654 Email: akepner@doe.k12.de.us
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