Glen Forest Odyssey of the Mind team to compete in World Finals

Odyssey of the Mind is an internationally run competition
that calls for students to solve problems related to science, technology,
engineering, math, and the arts using creativity and teamwork.  

The girls “put so much time into this – many hours before and
after school and every weekend – for months,” says Matt Derrick who has two
daughters on the team. “The reason the school has been so successful is because
the teachers and administrators are so supportive.”

The OM team consists of fourth and fifth-graders in the
school’s Advanced Academics Program – Gabriela Cueva, Maya and Mia Derrick,
Abby Leegwater, Venus Martinez, Maclain Monsky, and Ariela Palomomeija – plus
coaches Ashley Ballenger, Cathy Gundlach, and Megan Monsky.

They worked on an engineering problem, “Omer to the Rescue,” that called for them to construct a vehicle two people can ride
on and that can negotiate a set course and can be folded up and fit into a
suitcase – all within eight minutes.

“What is incredible is that the organizers don’t tell the
teams how to do it,” Derrick says, although they have to comply with a long list
of requirements. The students have to come up with the idea on how to construct
the vehicle all by themselves and they have to carry out the project with no
adult assistance.

“It was really cool to see them think how to do this,” he says. “It challenges them to think creatively.” OM competitions also include a spontaneous
problem the teams have to solve on the spot.

Glen Forest won the Northern Virginia OM
competition in March, beating teams from schools in more affluent areas. They came
in second place in their division in the state OM competition April 6 in
Manassas Park, which qualified them for the World Finals.

Last year, they competed in the state competition in Newport
News but missed qualifying for Worlds by two points, Derrick says, “so they’re
really excited about going to Worlds this year.” World Finals is “like a mini-Olympics with an opening
and closing ceremony and three days of competition.” Teams from every state and more than 20 countries will participate.

The Glen Forest team is trying to come up with $15,000 for the trip to Worlds. So
far, they’ve raised just over $5,600. Donations can be made on the team’s Go Fund Me page.

“The community is not as economically advantaged
as some, and we need to reach outside of Glen Forest’s district raise the necessary
money to pay for the team’s travel expenses and room and board,” says PTO
President Paul Monsky,

“The girls are looking forward to the experience of competing at Worlds,” Derrick says. He called the Odyssey of the Mind experience
“a good example of how a great school and a great program can come together.”