Back row: Stephanie Colella, Sydney Baker, Kate Baker, Alex Cutcliff, Evan Totilla, Charlotte Hord, Jacob Ortiz Front row: Ashlyn Ayers, Johanna Anderson, Nina Whiteside, Julian Vittenson, Charlie Horstman, Oscar Ames, Brett Allegrati
Two Bailey Middle School teams won first place at the Odyssey of the Mind Regional Tournament at Wingate University. They competed in the middle school division and will move on to the state finals at NC A&T University in Greensboro on April 1
Often called OM, these problem-solving competitions engage students from kindergarten through college. Team members work together—often at length—to solve a predefined problem and present their solution to the problem. They must also participate in the spontaneous portion of the competition by generating solutions to a problem they have not seen before.
More than 50 schools in the Central Carolina region compete. There are five problems in the competition from which schools can choose. Schools and community groups purchase a membership and form teams of up to seven students. Each team chooses one of five competitive problems to solve.
The problems appeal to a wide range of interests; some are technical in nature, while others are artistic or performance-oriented.
Under the guidance of an adult coach, teams work on their solutions throughout the school year and, if they choose, present them in organized competitions in the spring. The friendly competition encourages students to be the best that they can be. More info: www.NCOM.org.
