Odyssey of the Mind

What is Odyssey of the Mind?

The PTA sponsors several teams each year to participate in the Odyssey of the Mind (“OM”) competition, an international problem-solving competition that began at a New Jersey college back in the late 70’s with a goal to foster creativity and teamwork in students.  Teams now compete at the elementary, middle school, high school and collegiate level around the world (some of you may have even participated when you were a child). 

Teams from Tuckahoe participate at the Northern Virginia East (Region 11), Primary (grades K-2)/Division I (grades 3-5) level with the regional competition in March (actual date listed below). Regional winners in each problem move on to compete in the state competition, and state winners move on to the world finals. 

Read below for FAQs about OM!

Problem-solving?  What kind of problems?

Students in kindergarten through second grade compete in teams in a “Primary” long-term problem which is non-competitive, unscored, and more simplified but a fun introduction to OM.  Third through Fifth graders participate in teams in one of five Long-Term competitive problems. The scenario and requirements for each problem change each year, but in the non-Primary, competitive, scored problems, there is typically:

• A “Vehicle” problem that involves building a vehicle,
  
  
• A “Structure” problem that involves building a balsa wood structure that holds weight,
  
  
• A “Technical” problem that involves building an “innovative contraption,”
  
  
• A “Classics” problem that may involve classical art, literature, architecture, etc.
  
  
• A “Performance” problem that involves creating a humorous performance.
  
  

All of the problems (including the Primary problem) typically require some kind of performance.  The non-Primary teams also participate in a spontaneous portion of the competition (involving a previously unseen problem) on the actual day of the tournament.  Teams are composed of a maximum of 7 children. 

What makes OM special?

The defining characteristic of OM is the children are in charge and must do all the work themselves; in fact, there are penalties if they receive outside assistance on their solution.  Regardless of the task at hand, the outcome is original and fun! 

What do I do if I want my child to participate?

A sign-up or form will be available later this fall for parents to sign-up their interested children; you can encourage your child’s friends to sign-up as well.  Teams typically meet once a week at a time and place determined by the coach(es) and sometimes more than once a week near the time of the competition. 

While the children are running the show, there is still a HUGE need for parent volunteers.  The team must come up with a coach (usually one of the team member’s parents but can also be a grandparent or family friend, as long as they are over 18); each team most also provide an adult judge (who must participate in mandatory judge training on the date listed below in addition to judging on the day of the competition). 

The teams from Tuckahoe must also provide a certain number of parent volunteers on the day of the regional competition based on the number of Tuckahoe teams. Your child’s team may also need parents to help in other ways. Lack of parent volunteers can result in a team dropping out.

What are the key dates for OM this school year?

Tuckahoe PTA is excited to announce that Odyssey of the Mind is back for 2024-2025.  In order for us to fully support that program, we are in need of team coaches as well as a list of interested students.  You can complete the interest indicator here to have your student on a team and/or to coach. We ask for your patience as the coordinators and coaches learn the program right along side the students. Email the OM Coordinator with any questions.

Where Can i find out more information?

For more information, please contact the Odyssey of the Mind chair  (om@tuckahoepta.us). 

There will also be an information session for interested parents and children at a date to be determined in October. 

If you are interested in learning more generally about Odyssey of the Mind, you can visit the Region 11 Nova East Odyssey of the Mind website and the official OM website.