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Two local teams win first place in OM tournament
By Rose Hooper
Two Jackson County schools took first-place awards Saturday (March 20) in the Schuncke Memorial Odyssey of the Mind Tournament at Western Carolina University.
Smoky Mountain High's Crimson Crocodiles, a team of juniors and seniors, and Fairview Elementary's sixth- and seventh-grade team both finished first in the Fantastic Art long-term problems division.
In the Fantastic Art problem, teams created and presented a performance that includes works of art that come alive when no one can see them and return to their original state when others are around.
Smoky Mountain High School's Crimson Crocodiles - from left, Kari Wilson, Scott Persons, Dustin Huff, Will Cowan and Shilo Harley - won first place in the Fantastic Art long-term problem Saturday (March 20) during the annual Odyssey of the Mind Tournament at Western Carolina University and will advance to the state competition April 17 at Appalachian State University. Another SMHS team placed third in the Featured Creature category.
"The students started on their problem in October and have worked on it diligently - it's not something that just happened overnight," said Kay Wolf, coach for the Fairview team, which includes Tessa Rodes, Elizabeth Cochran, Patrick Savell, Martha Turpin and Star Matheny.
"In the brainstorming process the kids amazed me by how quickly and creatively they came up with ideas," Wolf said.
This is SMHS's fourth year of competing in OM, said their head coach Richelle Sampl, who is "really proud of the teams' accomplishments."
Members of Smoky Mountain's winning team are seniors Kari Wilson, Scott Persons and Dustin Huff and juniors Will Cowan and Shilo Harley.
Sixth and seventh-graders from Fairview Elementary School won first place Saturday (March 20) in the Fantastic Art division during the Odyssey of the Mind Tournament at Western Carolina University. From left, Tessa Rodes, Elizabeth Cochran, Patrick Savell, Martha Turpin and Star Matheny created and presented a performance that included works of art that come alive when no one can see them and return to their original state when others are around. Fairview will advance to the state competition April 17 at Appalachian State University.
Both local first-place teams advance to state competition April 17 at Appalachian State University. Any individual or business who would like to help sponsor the teams, or contribute towards gas and lodging, may contact either coach.
Another SMHS team - OM novice ninth-graders Ryan Brown, Daniel Plemmons, Carter Harley and Ben Ward - placed third in the Featured Creature division. They created a mythological creature, the Abominable, Indomitable, Mushroom-eating, Fire-breathing, Musk Oxen of Imminent Doom, and a legend to go with it.
State winners will advance to the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals, to be held May 29-June 1 at the University of Maryland in College Park, Md.
Nearly 550 students from 46 Western North Carolina schools competed in the tournament at WCU's Ramsey Center.
Odyssey of the Mind is a national competition that promotes creative thinking, problem-solving skills and teamwork. Kids in kindergarten through second grade worked on a non-competitive problem, Rewind With Humor, while older students worked on long-term problems in three divisions: Division I for elementary school children third grade and up; Division II for middle and junior high students; and Division III for high school students.
Omer's Awards, given to reward exceptional sportsmanship, behavior or talent, were presented to a team from Summit Charter School in Cashiers for its work in the Division I-A Featured Creature competition.
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