Generosity

Dickman's flower gardens have generously donated 2 vouchers for hanging baskets.

Dunkin Donuts has donated 5 dozen donuts

Applebee's in Auburn has donated 2 $10 gift cards

Kwik fill has donated a gift card

Sara Tidd has donated a "mousetrap" cake

Jenn Tidd will be donating decorative notecards

Sysco foods has donated 200 hot dogs and rolls to the "fun"draising event!

AND personal donations have started coming in and we can't thank these
people enough too!  What I really love about chronicling this experience is
seeing in print everyone who donates, it's such a heartwarming feeling when
you see the generosity all piled in one blog.  Looking back at the 2007
world adventure, it gives me shivers.  This is what I love about my town,
while I feel that it is a very conservative town in spending, I feel that when
it comes to helping..it's a different story.  And trust me,every little bit helps
and if you cannot, support in good thoughts, it works just as well!

Here is the list of some of our friends helping out, the total received was $975

Duane & Denise Wiedor

Auburn Crane & Rigging Inc.

Milford, Lynch & Shannon

The Moffa Family

James & Kimball Kraus

Ramsgard Architectural Design PC

Rosalind and Stephen Schwartz
 Casimir Bobowski

Nancy Tordy
 SonByrne Sales, Inc.

Mr. & Mrs. Alfred Carpenter

Joelle's french bistro supports Ootm!

Have you had the food at Joelle's french bistro?? Not the hoity toity french cuisine, where the bites are like mouse bites. BUT real french cooking and even a bit of Moroccan twists!

Now is your chance to try it. During the week of April 25th through 29th if you visit the restaurant you will be helping the Ootm team that is world bound! 10% of your check will be contributed to the Ootm team.

We can't thank Joelle and Alain enough for being so generous. I know I will be going to have a bite to eat that week! Be sure to get a flyer or print this one out. Stop at Bijou salon in Skaneateles, I will have plenty of them there!

Thank you and enjoy the dinner, here are a few pictures just to get your taste buds watering!

Get ready to "FUN"draise and party!

With this..you can come and have fun. If it's not your thing, you can bake something for the cake wheel (like cake roulette and my favorite thing of all!) Or you can volunteer. Any little mouse bite of help will be appreciated!

A rough night of stuffing, licking and stamping envelopes!

The kids wrote the letter. The two girls of the team of course, but I don't doubt for a second that the boys helped them with a word or two:)

Also we would like to thank Heather Buff, she has been making the signs and posters for the Extravaganza and anything pretty much we need! Thanks Heather, you are THE best!

Gratitude is the name of the game...

These kids are grateful for the opportunity that they get to experience.

These are things that will stay with them forever. Simply participating in Ootm is a blessing for these kids and at Skaneateles Central School, every kid can participate if they wish. (Some schools only let gifted/talented kids participate, our school allows anybody who joins!).

Thank goodness for the brilliant minds of Dr. C. Samuel Micklus and Dr. Theodore Gourley in 1978 at Glassboro State College (now Rowan University) in Glassboro, New Jersey.

The whole point of this blog is to share with others, the importance of Ootm. These types of things are what make our educational system special. The creativity that we allow our kids to explore and the thinking outside of the boxes are what sets us apart in this country. Going to World's..we will see other countries, who also participate and the kids will be able to interact with them! Fabulous!

The parents involved in this are all doing their part to help raise money for the team, it's a very good experience for everyone, especially the kids. They have been hard at work stuffing letters; they ask for donations through letters. If you can do something, (it doesn't have to be much) that is great, if not, please, no worries. There are other ways to support, just reading and rooting for the kids is even enough!

So far we would like to Thank the following locations for donations that they have made already, please click on each link to visit their pages if they have one and my goodness support local places!

This will also give you an idea of what fabulous gifts you can bid on or win by raffle!

Thank you!!

Chili's in Auburn gave us gift certificates!

Stacia Landsberg has offered one of her gorgeous prints (can't WAIT to see which one!) and a beautiful greeting card!

Smiley's florist in Auburn has donated a dried wreath that is very pretty.

Wegman's in Auburn has donated a $25 gift card!

Shelly from Head's up in Auburn will donate a gift certificate!

Hetty Easter will be donating a one person sitting for Portrait a day!!!

Bijou Salon will be donating a kids birthday party for 4 little girls!

Johnny Angel's in town donated a very generous check, one of Bill's employee's, Brandon, works there! Check out his weekly specials, $3.00 burger Thursdays, two for $10 salads on Tuesdays..just to name a few!

More to follow:) (Thankfully!)

In the news, so far..more to come!

Online I found this article.

This one. And this one.

This one from the school.

And, low and behold...I found this online!

Moving on to World finals 2011

Thirteen students from two Central New York school districts are advancing to the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals.
Seven are from Skaneateles High School and will compete in the Extreme Mousemobiles Division III world finals. Chandler Dickinson is the team's coach.

The students are Thomas Andrews, Dylan Baker, Hunter Dickinson, Brandon Mack, Christina Marshall and Jennifer Richardson.



The problem was described as this:
Problem 1: Extreme Mousemobiles
Divisions I, II, III , & IV
This problem requires teams to design, build, and run vehicles that use mousetraps as their only source of energy. The Mouse Mobiles will travel a course that has segments with different challenges. The team can choose from assorted tasks such as driving through a tunnel, raising a flag, hitting a target, changing direction, making a delivery, and will also perform two team-created challenges. The running of the Mouse Mobiles will be presented in a performance with a team-created theme.
Cost limit: $145 USD.

In 2007 two of these team members also went and two different ones went last year. Click here for that article!

Spontaneous, what?

I've never really had a good grasp on what the spontaneous part of Ootm is, because as you may all know...When you ask the team what they did for spontaneous...You most likely will get the reply: "Sorry, can't talk about it!" or "We're not allowed to discuss it!" (In a very secret agent sort of way;) Hopefully, this will take some of the mystery out of it! And it's also fun to try yourself! Now just picture yourself trying to answer these questions, while sitting in front of an Official Ootm judge, with a GIANT BANANA on his head... These brain testers are really brain builders! They can be used in 10- to 30-minute sessions. Some spontaneous problems build verbal skills, some build mechanical skills, and some build both, but all will improve your creative problem-solving talents. Get a group of friends together and compete, or solve them without keeping score Animal Rhymes Your problem is to make a rhyme using a name or species of an animal. For example, you might say, "I think mice are nice" or "There's a cat in the hat." The Full Problem

Be Patient Your problem is to pretend you are a patient in an operating room and you hear noises and conversation. Say what you would like to hear or what you would not like to hear. You must begin each response with "I would like to hear . . ." or "I would not like to hear . . . ." The Full Problem

Cantilever Structure You are to build a structure of toothpicks and clay that will sit on a table behind a boundary line. The structure will cantilever, or stick out, as far as possible beyond the boundary line without touching the table surface. The Full Problem

Names Your problem is: Use a word or words to make a first and last name. You must relate this name to an occupation. The Full Problem

Omer In The Basket Your problem is to say something about the photograph of Omer in a basket. The Full Problem

Something In Common Your problem is to name two things that have something in common and what it is they have in common. The Full Problem

Tower of Pasta You have 7 minutes to make a structure that will be scored on height and strength. The Full Problem

Names and Occupations Your problem is: Use a word or words to make a first and last name. You must relate this name to an occupation. The Full Problem

Text copied from official Odyssey of the Mind site. Odyssey of the Mind, the Odyssey of the Mind logo, and OMER are federally registered trademarks of Creative Competitions, Inc. ©copyright 2006 Creative Competitions, Inc

What is Ootm exactly?

Odyssey of the Mind is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college. Kids apply their creativity to solve problems that range from building mechanical devices to presenting their own interpretation of literary classics. They then bring their solutions to competition on the local, state, and World level. Thousands of teams from throughout the U.S. and from about 25 other countries participate in the program.

What makes Odyssey different?
Odyssey of the Mind is a competitive program, but it's nothing like your typical sporting event. The competitive element encourages kids to be the best that they can be, but it's a friendly competition. Kids learn from and even cheer on their competitors. Odyssey of the Mind is not a college bowl or a competition about knowledge. It's all about creativity, an often overlooked element in the growth and development of many students. Kids are rewarded more for how they apply their knowledge, skills and talents, and not for coming up with the right answer. In fact, in Odyssey of the Mind problems, there isn't one right answer. Ever.

How do students benefit from participation?
In Odyssey of the Mind, students learn at a young age skills that will last a lifetime. They work in teams so they learn cooperation and respect for the ideas of others. They evaluate ideas and make decisions on their own, gaining greater self-confidence and increased self-esteem along the way. They work within a budget, so they learn to manage their money. They see that there�s often more than one way to solve a problem, and that sometimes the process is more important than the end result.

How does it work?

Schools or community groups purchase a membership and form teams of up to seven students. Each team chooses one of five competitive problems to solve. The problems appeal to a wide range of interests; some are technical in nature, while others are artistic or performance-oriented. Under the guidance of an adult coach, teams work on their solutions throughout the school year and, if they choose, present them in organized competitions in the spring. The "friendly" competitive aspect encourages students to be the best that they can be.

What are the competition levels?
In the U.S., the first level of competition is usually within a region of a state. Teams who place are invited to compete at the state level. These championship teams are then invited to participate in the annual Odyssey of the Mind World Finals, where they compete with teams from countries around the world, including Canada, China, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Malaysia, Poland, Singapore, and Uzbekistan. New countries join the program each year.

How are teams judged in competition?
Thousands of volunteers from around the world judge the competitions and serve in various positions to help make the tournaments a success. Teams are scored for their long-term problem solution, how well they solve a "spontaneous" problem on the spot, and "style" -- the elaboration of their long-term problem solution.

Who runs the Odyssey of the Mind?
Not-for-profit organizations administer the Odyssey of the Mind program in each participating U.S. state and country. Each organization is run by a local Association Director. The organizations are licensed by Creative Competitions, Inc. (CCI), which provides all of the problems and materials necessary to run training sessions and tournaments.

How did Odyssey of the Mind get its start?
Odyssey of the Mind was created by Dr. C. Samuel Micklus, Professor Emeritus at Rowan University in New Jersey. In 1978, 28 New Jersey schools participated in the very first creative problem-solving competition ever. "Dr. Sam" still develops all problems for the program, along with his son, Sammy, President of CCI.


Text copied from official Odyssey of the Mind site.
Odyssey of the Mind, the Odyssey of the Mind logo, and OMER are federally registered trademarks of Creative Competitions, Inc.

©copyright 2006 Creative Competitions, Inc

Welcome to the beginning, or rather the middle of our journey...

Technically this is the beginning, but since before going onto the world competition of Ootm, there was a regional competition where the team competed against....only themselves;) Then there was a State competition at Binghampton University where they competed against 7 other teams and came in 2nd place! Here are their scores, (and the top 3, so you get an idea of where they stood) they are terrific scores for this type of competition, especially for Spontaneous!

Long- style- spont / total/penalty

PINE BUSH H S   Calc: 200.00  43.01  91.96 334.97
                Raw: 173.66  40.00  71.50   0

SKANEATELES H S Calc: 182.15  48.39 100.00 330.54
                Raw: 158.16  45.00  77.75   0


CAMDEN H S      Calc: 157.98  40.32  74.60 272.90
              Raw: 137.17  37.50  58.00   0

I cannot believe we are here again, well us specifically. (Coach Dickenson's team) Some new friends and some old friends. Most of these kids have competed at least once or twice together. Two boys on the team have been in it since the beginning, and for Dylan and Hunter, it is their second time traveling to the world finals of Ootm and 9 years in the program with the same coach. Some of the other kids have been on different teams and also have attended World's. Let the fun begin!

We kept a journal of it last time, if you click here, you can read through it, it's pretty easy to navigate a blog..this is a blog in case you didn't know, I didn't know the first time I read one..until I came upon the word "blog"..and I thought..wait a minute..I'm reading a blog?

Okay, so here are a couple of pointers.

BLOGGING : 101

Entries are displayed newest to oldest... be sure to scroll thru. please leave a note or a quick "thinking of YOU" (just click the "comment" button below each entry ... it is easy!). If you click on an entry TITLE you can view all comments.

When something is highlighted..click on it, it takes you places, you'll never know where you'll end up, then to return, hit the back button or if your computer is such that it opens a new tab, just X out of that tab.

It really is fun and simple!

So here it is, the journey to Maryland State University and your chance to learn all about the wonderful people in this village that will help these great kids on their trek. I will try my hardest to teach you what exactly Ootm is, for those of you who don't know truly how great of a program it is.

Thank you in advance for helping in any way you can! The kids will be mailing out letters asking for donations, (any little bit helps, but if you cannot, no worries, there will be other ways to help) their will be some local restaurants having Ootm nights, (where a portion of the nights sales, if you bring in a flyer, will help the kids) then there will be the "Fun"draiser on Sunday May 15th which is always so much fun...and I do mean SO much fun! (Cake wheel, silent auction, raffle's, entertainment for all ages, face painting and a kickball tourney!)