Two Clariden Teams Take 1st Place at Odyssey of the Mind
State Competition 2018 – Headed to World Finals
Middle School and High School Teams to Compete May 23-26, 2018 at World Finals
Southlake, TX – April 26, 2018 – The Clariden School, a North Texas leader in accredited, private PreK – High School STEAM education, today announced that both their middle school and high school teams took 1st place at the Odyssey of the Mind 2018 State Tournament in their respective age divisions. The State Tournament was held in Houston, Texas on April 14, 2018. This was Clariden’s first year participating at the middle school level. The Odyssey of the Mind Competition is reported to be “the largest international creative problem-solving competition worldwide.” (https://www.odysseyofthemind.com)
Clariden’s middle school and high school teams competed in February at the regional level and both teams took second place. This qualified them to advance to the State-level tournament in Houston. Odyssey of the Mind is a club activity for students at Clariden.
The Clariden middle school team consisted of: Daniel Alencar 7th, Ani Heng 8th, Kush Patel 7th, Grant Sears 6th, Praew Vilawan 6th, Benji Weisser 6th. The Clariden high school team consisted of: Alyssa Bramble 10th, Caden Bottorff 8th, Rowan Hamilton 10th, Mia Johnson 8th, Kate O’Bannon 9th, Coby Warner 10th. Team coaches were Brady Warner and Rissa Westerfield.
Teams select one of five problems published by Odyssey of the Mind organizers. Both Clariden teams chose the “Triathalon Travels” problem in which they had to build a self-powered vehicle that could carry two students and perform a number of challenges involving maneuvering around obstacles and hitting precision targets. The actions all had to be delivered in a story format including costumes, acting, sets, and more. The teams worked for nine months creating and building their vehicle and components.
According to the Odyssey of the Mind website, “In this problem, teams will ride on and drive original vehicles in an Odyssey-style triathlon. They will try to score in “curling,” hit the right targets when “jousting,” and “run track” by navigating a course in two directions. Between these events, the team will entertain the audience and the vehicle will change appearance. All of the action will take place in a team-created performance that features the vehicles’ triathlon travels, a commentator, and a coach.” (https://www.odysseyofthemind.com/2018-long-term-problem-synopsis/)
“Amazing results from both our teams! We couldn’t be prouder of their performance and hard work,” commented Sallie Wells, Head of School for The Clariden School. “Thank you to all the parents and teachers who supported the team in their efforts to get to Houston. A special congratulations to our middle schoolers winning 1st place on their first year competing!”
The Odyssey of the Mind World Finals Tournament will be held May 23-26, 2018 at Iowa State University. Clariden will compete against approximately 850 top teams from around the world.
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About The Clariden School
The Clariden School of Southlake, Texas, is a private, accredited, college-preparatory school serving students PreK – Grade 12 in North Texas. We work to ignite student curiosity and problem-solving skills. Our goal is to not only equip students for college but also to prepare them for the job market of tomorrow. Students learn skills that empower them to be contributing citizens in their local and global community. We focus on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) and student voice in a non-denominational, small classroom environment (15:1 student to teacher ratio) where big ideas can happen. Check out our award-winning curriculum built on project-based learning at claridenschool.org.
Media Contact
Sallie Wells, M.S., CFLE, Head of School
682-237-0400 | swells@claridenschool.org
The Clariden School, 100 Clariden Ranch Rd., Southlake, TX 76092