1. Odyssey of the Mind Odyssey Program Coordinators Training David Tsuda Director, VA Regions 14 & 16 Odyssey of the Mind (c) nwregiondirector @ gmail.com Websites: nwvoices.org OdysseyoftheMind.com

2. OVERVIEW Welcome and Thank You! Intro to Odyssey of the Mind (what) VA Catoctin Region 14 & Dulles Region 16 (who) Revised Allocation of LCPS Schools to Regions Benefits (why) Calendar of Events (when) Coordinator’s Handbook (how) New Policies Purchasing School Membership Up to five (5) Primary teams per membership Mandatory judge and volunteer; Else, Team will NOT be scored

3. PARTICIPANTS ANY student in grades Kindergarten through College Primary Division: K- 2 Division I: K-5 th grade Division II: 6 th - 8 th grade Division III: 9 th - 12 th grade Division IV: College students Elementary School Middle School High School

4. Revised Allocation to Regions 14 & 16 x

5. WHAT IS OOTM? An International Educational Program/Competition which provides Creative Problem Solving Opportunities for Students

6. BENEFITS Participants learn: Team-building skills by working in groups How to effectively brainstorm How to identify the real challenge How to seek out-of-the-box solutions How to think on their feet How to present solutions and answers in a large group setting How to “open up” and express themselves How to work independently

7. COMPETITION Preparation begins in September (or earlier if team stays together) for March regional competition Preparation for two types of competitive events: Long Term problem Primary Teams: Primary Problem Division I, II, III teams: Select one from five types Spontaneous problem - All Teams Three (3) types: Hands on; Verbal; Hands on-Verbal Selection of type kept SECRET until tournament date Must expose team to wide variety of problems of each type Attend Coaches Training and Master Spontaneous Workshop

8. LONG TERM PROBLEMS Primary (Primary): Teams present performances that revolve around a specific theme and incorporate required elements Mechanical/Vehicle (Problem 1): Teams design, build and operate vehicles of various sizes and with various power sources Technical Performance (Problem 2): Teams make innovative contraptions and incorporate artistic elements into their solutions Classics (Problem 3): Teams write and perform skit based upon the classical -- from literature to architecture to art Structure Problem 4): Teams design and build structures using only balsa wood and glue which are weight tested Performance (Problem 5): Teams present performances that revolve around a specific theme and incorporate required elements

9. LONG TERM PROBLEM GUIDANCE Meet minimum requirements or constraints for each problem’s solution which the team must consider as they develop their solution Examples for performance: Must be done 8 minutes or less Must be capable of being presented within the area size specified; Actual performance size may be larger Judged in many categories – specified objective & subjective scores Could garner penalty points for a variety of infractions

10. KEY CALENDAR of EVENTS Coaches, Master Spontaneous, Judges Training: RSVP via Coordinator Coaches Training, Master Spontaneous Workshop - $30/coach Check in @ 7:00 am; Training from 8:30 am - 1:00 pm See our website at www.nwvoices.org for neighboring Regions 9, 11, 12 Alternate Coaches Training Dates & Locations Alternate Judges Training Dates & Locations

11. OTHER DATES Regional T-shirt Design Contest: Submissions due: TBD Regional Tournament Registration: TBD (early Dec- early Jan), with check payment via MAIL only T-shirt Orders Due (purchase optional): TBD, with check payment via MAIL only Judges’ Training: Feb 7, 2015 (Park View HS) (no charge) Regional Competitions: Catoctin Region 14: Saturday, Feb 28, 2015 (John Champe HS, Aldie) Dulles Region 16: Saturday, Mar 14, 2015 (Park View HS, Sterling) Snow date for either region: Mar 21, 2015 (J. Champe HS, Aldie) State Competition: Saturday, Apr 18, 2015 (South County HS, Lorton) World Competition: 20-23 May 2015, Michigan State University

12. COORDINATOR’S HANDBOOK Getting Started Work with Principal and PTA/PTO/PTSA Guidance, Budget Resources: Odyssey Program Coordinator’s Handbook Odyssey Program Guide, Problem Detail Descriptions Odysseyofthe Mind.com website; nwvoices.org website; Google search for long term performances on past problems; spontaneous problems; supplies Coordinator for Program Development (backed by Regional Board members) Catoctin R14: Judy Munley; bmunley1 @ verizon.net Dulles R16: David Tsuda; nwregiondirector @ gmail.com

13. Odyssey of the Mind Information Night Schedule school library as soon as possible Objective: Identify coaches to attend Coaches Training 25 Oct; or alternate training dates in neighboring regions Introduce the Odyssey of the Mind Program Objective, Participants, Benefits, Costs, etc. Calendar: Mandatory Training Dates and Tournament Dates Show an example of a Long Term Problem Gather contact info on Interested Students and Prospective Coaches Identify Experienced Odyssey Coaches Mandatory Requirement to Provide a Judge AND a Volunteer

14. REQUIREMENTS & COSTS COMMITMENT Students TIME Teamwork Respect Creativity Open mind Positive attitude Punctuality Responsibility Sense of humor Encouragement Parents: Funds Time Punctuality Planning Priority Assist Coach School membership fee ($135/first team, $100/additional teams) Coaches and Places to meet Funds for long term problem ($125-$145/team) Competition registration fee ($60/team) Availability on practice days and tournament dates One Judge and One volunteer to represent each team CEUs for teachers, staff who volunteer as coaches or judges < $50/student to participate

15. SEQUENCE Parents/students attend orientation (Sept/Oct) Form teams - Determine meeting dates/times Teams Meet (Oct - Mar): Select problem, develop solution options, develop & test solutions, finalize design (set, props, skit), build & rehearse solution; Practice wide variety of spontaneous problems Training for Coaches (Oct); Master Spontaneous Workshop (Dec) Coordinator/Coach register teams for competition (Dec - Jan) Teams prepare/practice (Jan - Mar) Teams compete at Regional Tournament (Mar) Advancing Teams compete at State Tournament (Apr) Advancing Teams compete at World Finals Tournament (late May)

16. TEAM FORMATION Teams consist of 5 to 7 members Teams form in many ways throughout US: Gifted (as defined by the school district) Try-out Test Lottery Coaches choose Coaches form Coordinator forms Students form Teachers form

17. SCHOOL MEMBERSHIPS Purchasing School Membership www.odysseyofthemind.com One Div I, II, III team each – Problem 1, Problem 2, Problem 3, Problem 4, Problem 5 NEW And, up to five (5) Primary teams per membership If there is more than one Division I, II, III team per problem, additional memberships must be purchased

18. School Membership Worksheet

19. TOURNAMENT REGISTRATION Tournament Registration - Opens (Dec-Jan) Each Coach will register the team via the nwvoices.org website Specify ANY scheduling conflicts (e.g., MS Band Assessment) Register Judge Register Volunteer NEW The School Odyssey Program Coordinator will register all of the Primary teams for the tournament with the Region Director nwregiondirector@gmail.com Designate each team A, B, C, D, E Provide Coach’s name, mailing address, email address, phone number, school name, and team members’ names and ages Register Team Judge Register Team Volunteer Specify ANY scheduling conflicts

20. TEAM’S JUDGE & VOLUNTEER Every year, each team must provide one judge and one volunteer for the regional tournament. When tournament registration opens (Dec-Jan), the coach should register the judge and the volunteer as representing the team 1. The prospective judge must attend Judges Training (or make up training at a nearby region) and perform as a judge on the tournament date (all day) a. NEW If the prospective judge misses judges training and/or is not present to perform as a judge at the tournament, the team will be allowed to perform but the team’s performance will not be scored. Coaches will submit only bona fide excuses to the Region Director for adjudication b. The judge will not be assigned to the same problem and division as the team the judge is representing. This is to avoid conflict of interest c. On tournament day, judges will not be excused to go see their child or team’s long term performance 2. The volunteer will be assigned to a two-hour time slot. The time slot will not conflict with the team’s long term performance time

21. CONCLUSIONS OOTM is an excellent program given benefits realized. An OOTM program is only limited by the number of coaches available. Students who compete are all winners no matter where they place in competition.

22. Questions?

23. Backup Slides

24. ORIGINATION Developed by Dr. Sam Micklus, professor at Rowan University Challenged his students to create vehicles without wheels, mechanical pie throwers and floatation devices to travel across a lake. Evaluated solutions not only on success but on ingenuity applied and risks taken. Students had FUN, word spread and people outside the college “wanted in.” Led to the development of this world-wide creative problem solving competition.