WILDWOOD ROCKS THE WORLD FINALS

Had anyone told Wildwood Christian Academy that in three short years it would compete in the World Finals of Odyssey of the Mind and after competing against U.S. and international teams that it’s three teams would finish 2^nd, 4^th and 16^th in the World, heavy frowns would have appeared on the faces of many.

But this is exactly what happened at the World Finals of the 2011 Odyssey of the Mind held at the University of Maryland at the end of May.  It was the largest contingency ever presented by Wildwood.  In 2008 and 2009 Wildwood offered only one team in competition; but won the State of Georgia championship and finished 16^th and 14^th in the World Finals, respectively.  In 2011, Wildwood entered three teams in three different Odyssey of the Mind problems.  The international organization that requires students in public and private schools to “think outside the box” and solve long term problems against regional, state and international teams.  The three teams entered this year consisted of students from Wildwood in grades 3^rd through 8^th.  With only 60 available students to choose from in these grades, Wildwood was hard pressed to form three teams; but it did.  Even though Wildwood was required to compete against other Georgia schools with over 1,000 students in their student body, Wildwood still won the State of Georgia championship with two of its teams and finished 2^nd in the State in the third.  This qualified all three teams to compete in the World Finals.

What is Odyssey of the Mind?  Simply stated, Odyssey of the Mind is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college. Team members apply their creativity to solve problems that range from building mechanical devices to presenting their own interpretation of literary classics. They then bring their solutions to competition on the local, state, and World level. Thousands of teams from throughout the U.S. and from about 25 other countries participate in the program. Schools represented in this year’s World Finals of Odyssey came from the top two teams from the states in the United States, Canada, Russia, China, South Korea, Poland, Togo, Mexico and many others.

Most students from Wildwood lived on campus of the University of Maryland, living in the dormitories, eating the college food and learning about the “lack of private showers, bathroom facilities and living in a communal setting.  Of course the students didn’t seem to mind this at all; it was their parents that had some difficulty going back to “college”.  Daily living over the five days of competition included competing in their long term problem, competing in problems that were selected “spontaneously” by the World judges, trading State of Georgia pins with students from around the globe, enjoying college living and the hot weather.  Did we mention that most dormitories were not air conditioned at the University of Maryland and that the temperature exceeded 100 degrees one day?

At the conclusion of the World Finals, Wildwood faired exceptionally well.  Two of Wildwood’s teams finished in 2^nd place after their long term problems were performed.  Over all, Wildwood’s teams finished 2^{nd, 4th} and 16^th...  Incredible! 

“Each of the students have worked hard after school and on weekends for 8 months preparing for a chance to compete in the World Finals against the best of the best.  This was amazing that a school with 100 students could perform so well in world competition.  Our students were great, our coaches were outstanding and everyone supported these teams throughout the regional, state and world competition”, said Lauren Melton, teacher and coach of one of the Odyssey teams.

 Finally, Wildwood’s team sponsors really helped with the cost of transporting the students, coaches and the props to the University of Maryland and with assisting the students with their room and board costs, all of which is the responsibility of the students and their parents.  Thank you to all of Wildwood’s Team Member Sponsors, including Loren and Barbara Rozeboom, Dick and Mimi Tash, Wildwood Parents Action Counsel, Wendy and Jerry Bobak, and Anonymous.   Also, thank you to all other sponsors, including, the Pickens County Rotary Club, David Jacobs, Social Media Online Classes.com, Law Office of Larry L. Ruff, Cesar and Nancy Fernandez, Bell Rollins Rugh & Logan, CPA, Taylor, Turner & Hartsfield, Insurance, Buckhead Uniforms, Appalachia, An American Grill, Josh Folk, DDS, Big Canoe HOA, and James P. Mahaffey.

It has been an exciting year at Wildwood and for each of the teams who participated in Odyssey of the Mind. 

Congratulations!