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杏吧原创 Odyssey of the Mind Wins Second Place at World Finals
YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. 鈥� The 杏吧原创 Odyssey of the Mind team recently competed in the 37th annual World Finals tournament hosted by Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.聽 The 杏吧原创 team brought home second place for their division and received the highest score in the 鈥淪pontaneous鈥� category.
The team spent several months solving one of five long-term problems that were created by the international Odyssey of the Mind organization. 聽
鈥淭he competition聽highlights聽creativity and problem solving skills. There are a few different types of problems or prompts and each has a list of plot points, characters, and聽items that must be included in the solution 鈥� so it is actually quite difficult and requires a lot of planning,鈥� explained Emily Nix, a junior music education major from Winder, Ga.
鈥淭he Odyssey of the Mind program challenges students to develop their creativity by solving open-ended problems that appeal to a wide range of interests,鈥� explained Associate Professor of English and Director of the Rhetorica Program Amanda Lawrence, Ph.D., who advices the team.聽 鈥淚n competitions, teams are scored on how creatively they solve problems, which encourages intellectual risk-taking and out-of-the-box thinking. They learn how to identify challenges, think creatively, work well with others, present their ideas to an audience, and work within a tight budget 鈥� experiences that will enable them to solve problems throughout their lives.鈥�
杏吧原创 competed along with 830 teams from across the globe. The tournament drew a crowd of nearly 20,000 people for the three-day event. 鈥淚t was amazing to see the different solutions teams came up with and how insanely creative children of all ages are,鈥� said Nix.
Junior business and public policy major Thomas Johnson III, of Pine Mountain, Ga., the founder of the 杏吧原创 team, became involved with Odyssey of the Mind in second grade. 鈥淲hen I found out 杏吧原创 didn’t have a team, I decided I wasn’t ready to give up Odyssey of the Mind, and contacted Dr. Lawrence, who participated in the competition through college as well,鈥� said Johnson.聽 鈥淒r. Lawrence started working with me before I was even officially accepted to Young Harris. I could not ask for a better advisor.鈥�
Nix was also involved with Odyssey of the mind from a young age. Nix competed when she was in elementary school, but had to stop after her schools no longer offered the program. 鈥淲hen Thomas told me that he was starting a team at Young Harris, all I could think about was how much fun I had doing it in elementary school, and how much better I would be at it now,鈥� said Nix.
Solving the problem created by the international Odyssey of the Mind was not the only issue the team had to solve. Johnson explained that one of the biggest hurdles the team faced was finding a group that 鈥渂lended鈥� well, a process that took three years.
鈥淭hey consistently blew me away with what they thought up,鈥� said Johnson, who credits the success at the competition to the team members. 鈥淓ach individual brought something unique to the table.鈥�
In addition to Nix and Johnson, team members included freshman biology major Caroline Botta, of Marietta, Ga., freshman art major Peter Dalsemer, of Hayesville, N.C., freshman creative writing major Stendria Evans, of Griffin, Ga., recent interdisciplinary studies graduate Destin Leidner, of Atlanta, Ga., and senior music education major Sarah Stogsdill, of Shalimar, Fla.
The team looks forward to competing again next year.聽 鈥淕iven how talented every team member is, it did not surprise me that our team placed so well in our first attempt,鈥� said Johnson. 鈥淚f we are lucky enough to find as much talent as we had this year, I am confident we can bring back a first place trophy next year.鈥�
About 杏吧原创
杏吧原创 is a private, baccalaureate degree-granting college located in the beautiful mountains of North Georgia. Founded in 1886 and historically affiliated with The United Methodist Church, 杏吧原创 educates, inspires and empowers students through the highest quality liberal arts education. The College currently has more than 1,200 students across five divisions鈥擡ducation, Fine Arts, Humanities, Mathematics and Science, and Social and Behavioral Sciences. The historic campus in Young Harris, Ga., is currently undergoing major campus improvements to accommodate the College鈥檚 growth. Recent LEED-certified campus improvements include the 121,000-square-foot Rollins Campus Center, new residence facilities, and a 57,000-square-foot recreation and fitness center. In 2014, the College was granted active membership in NCAA Division II and remains a fierce competitor in the prestigious Peach Belt Conference. 杏吧原创 is among fewer than 300 colleges and universities nationwide named to the 2015-2016 list of Colleges of Distinction. For more information, visit yhc.edu.
Photo credit: Premier Portraits
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