Students at Dunedin Highland Middle School have a lot to celebrate. Members of their seventh and eighth grade classes just won major awards at the World Championships for Odyssey of the Mind in Ames, Iowa.
- Dunedin Highland Middle School attended the World Championships for Odyssey of the Mind
- Out of 850 teams, they snagged 1st and 2nd place
- Contest was all about 'thinking outside of the box'
An international educational program that focuses on long term and spontaneous problem solving, Odyssey of the Mind encourages kids to think outside of the box -- and for the past year, that's exactly what these students have been doing.
850 teams competed in 2016. As for Dunedin Highland, the eighth grade team won 1st place and the seventh grade team won 2nd.
"We had to hit historical accuracy because that was what we were scored on most," explained Madelyn White, "and we also wanted to be as funny as we possibly could so we were trying to squeeze a pun in as much as we could."
"I think it's given me a lot of life skills that I really needed to learn," added Jackson Boltz, "like how to work with people and how to have teamwork skills, but also have creativity in my job and think outside the box."
According to Coach Calla Alford, these two elite teams also took home the Odyssey of the Mind's highest honor.
"Their biggest award was winning the Ranatra Fusca, which is Odyssey of the Mind's highest honor. It's an award for exceptional creativity which they received in the spontaneous round of competition," said Alford.
Coaches said the biggest win is what the students will take away from the experience.
"It allows them to showcase their talents, No. 1, but it also allows them to grow and develop as individuals and as a team member," said Alford. "When they go into the real world they will have the skills they've learned here forever."