Our 8^th grade C.A.T.S. students have the great opportunity to participate in a state competition on March 24, 2012 at the University of Missouri-Rolla.  The sponsor is called “Odyssey of the Mind”. I will be sending at least 3 teams, with 5-7 students on each team.  Their teams will choose one out of five problems to work on ahead of time and take it to the competition. Last year we had 2 teams take first place. It is a wonderful experience for the students!

Odyssey of the Mind is a creative problem solving competition. The teams are challenged to solve divergent problems, which are problems with more than one solution. By working in teams, students learn teamwork, appreciation and understanding of others, and hopefully see how a group can sometimes be more powerful than an individual. Each group is given a cost limit and asked to find materials that are junk which could be turned in to something else for the solution. The students are responsible for coming up with the materials and the solution. Creativity is the key! If you would like to learn more, please visit their website www.odysseyofthemind.com.