Willow Glen Resident

Education

Mental acumen is stretched in Odyssey of the Mind workout

By Anne Gelhaus

There's a saying in theater that a bad dress rehearsal guarantees a good opening night. Such was the case for a group of fourth-graders at St. Christopher School, who put together an original show about a person who can talk to animals.

The students staged their performance of Bloke as their entry in Odyssey of the Mind, an international education program designed to test the creative problem-solving skills of kindergartners through college students. They wrote their own song and script, designed and built and their own sets, props and costumes and even choreographed a dance.

Before the regional Odyssey competition last month, the students gave a practice performance for their parents.

"That night, everything went wrong," said Theresa Wessels, whose son Drew is an Odyssey team member. "Despite all the problems, the kids kept their good humor, worked together, and eventually they did put on the skit successfully."

This grace under pressure helped the St. Christopher's team to a third-place win at the regionals and a fourth-place win at the state competition held earlier this month.

Prior to the competitions, team members Anna Thomas, Justin Barry, Loren Colpo, Kate McMahon, Anna Waters and Drew Wessels spent six months brainstorming and honing their problem-solving skills. Anna said her experience taught her to think outside the box.

"I have changed a lot," she added. "Before Odyssey, I always came up with the easiest solutions, never stretched my mind. If you only stretch your mind, you can be really creative."