Students from West Hartford’s Charter Oak International Academy competed at the Odyssey of the Mind finals this spring.

Charter Oak International Academy Odyssey of the Mind. Courtesy photo

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Fourteen fifth grade students from Charter Oak International Academy along with their teacher Michele Hadlock, competed with students from around the world in the annual Odyssey of the Mind World Finals held at Iowa State University from May 21-24, 2024.

The Odyssey of the Mind program, which has hosted over 40 years of international competition, provides specific problems that thousands of teams from around the world spend months using their creativity to solve. Children from diverse cultures and varying economic backgrounds demonstrated creativity as a global practice at this event. 

The Charter Oak fifth-graders started working on their problems in October 2023, working with Charter Oak QUEST teacher Michele Hadlock during the school day and in twice weekly after-school sessions through mid-March.

The two teams competed to earn top honors in different problems – one focused on small vehicle movement and the other on performance. Both teams earned first place and were judged most creative at a rigorous state competition at Southern Connecticut State University in March 2024. 

Charter Oak International Academy Odyssey of the Mind. Courtesy photo

At Iowa State University, Charter Oak’s own Odyssey of the Mind Team represented Connecticut to prove they were the world’s most creative problem-solvers. The Odyssey of the Mind World Finals had teams competing from the United States along with 14 other countries; including Canada, China, South Korea, Japan, Poland, Germany, Singapore, Switzerland, and Mexico. 

Charter Oak International Academy Odyssey of the Mind. Courtesy photo

Charter Oak teams placed fifth and ninth in their respective problems and age groups, competing against 31 and 34 other teams from around the world. This is a fantastic accomplishment for these students and their coach, as Michele Hadlock has earned over 15 trips to World Finals with her students from West Hartford.

Principal Georgina Rivera said, “Our school had the privilege of seeing them share their talents here at school and then move on to the World Finals. All of their hard work along with that of their dedicated teacher embodies the IB characteristics of being knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, risk-takers, and reflective. We are so proud of them as a school community and look forward to honoring the OM team and their teacher.” 

In Odyssey of the Mind the “problems” are judged on creativity and risk-taking. The students learn to apply their creativity to complex problem-solving. Teams learn how to manage time, and money, share ideas, negotiate with one another, and perform in front of an audience. The goals of the competition are to come up with divergent solutions and for students to incorporate their knowledge and interests into their solutions – such as math, history, art, music, science, acrobatics, athletics, robotics – anything a child can imagine and enjoy!

To learn more about this problem-solving competition, visit Odysseyofthemind.com or CTOM.org. 

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