A team of students from Spring Forest Middle School represented the school district and Texas in the World Finals of Odyssey of the Mind earlier this year. The team competed at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, from May 27-31.
The Spring Forest students competed in a long-term problem situation, titled “Teach Yer Creature,” which resulted in the team’s robotic squirrel learning how to bull fight against El Diablo, a bull. Trip highlights for the students included pin trading with other states and countries, staying in the Iowa State dorms, and watching other World Finals teams compete in campus competitions.
The Spring Forest Middle team represented Texas in home state style with cowboy hats and spirit. For the “Teach Yer Creature” team competition, they dressed as El Squirrelador and El Diablo.
Odyssey of the Mind is an international education program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students in kindergarten through college. Students solve problems ranging from the creation of mechanical devices to building 15 gram balsa wood structures designed to hold up hundreds of pounds, to the development of team plays and musicals.