Academic Competitions
ODYSSEY OF THE MIND
Odyssey of the Mind
Do you like to make things?
Do you like to work with others and show team spirit?
Do you like to find creative ways to solve problems?
Odyssey of the Mind is a creative problem‐solving competition for students of all ages. Teams of students select a problem, create a solution, then present their solution in a competition against other teams in the same problem and division. They also compete in a spontaneous competition, solving problems using teamwork, creativity, and improvisation.
Teams are composed of 5‐7 members working under the guidance of two adult coaches. Teams develop their own schedules (outside of school) and spend the time leading up to the competition (early March) working at their own pace, creating solutions to long‐term problems. Team members come up with all the ideas for their solution and do all the work themselves. Coaches can assist with organization, scheduling, teaching needed skills, and practicing spontaneous problems. There are two divisions for elementary students:
Primary teams (K‐2) fun and non-competitive
Grades 3-5 competitive problem solving teams…also fun :)
Parents...
As the OM Coordinator, I will create teams of students based on their ranked interest in each of the problems. I will do my best to give your child his/her first choice, but that will be dependent upon the number of students and the availability of coaches. If you coach a team, you will likely get your first choice. Each team needs two parent coaches. Feel free to comment on your registration form if you’ve already spoken to another parent and you would like to coach together. Here is the direct link to the problem synopses page: https://www.odysseyofthemind.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/2024-SYNOPSIS.pdf.
Before completing the registration form, please visit www.odysseyofthemind.com to get a good picture of what to expect with OM. Delaware’s OM website is very helpful as well, especially for coaches - www.deootm.org. Students will work from October to March on their long-term problems, all the while practicing spontaneous problem solving. I will provide materials and support throughout the school year.
This is a big commitment for your child. Please be ready to make OM practices a priority. Participating in OM and Lego League in the same school year is not recommended. There are often conflicts with practices and tournaments, which is unfair to both teams. Thanks for taking this into consideration when making decisions
MORE INFORMATION:
Each team requires two coaches and a volunteer judge (parent, friend, community member) who will judge the competitions in March. This will require an initial online training and an additional in-person training. Teams will be set once these volunteers are in place.
Coaches will receive their team info and reach out to their students/parents to set up a practice schedule, including days, times, and locations once the teams are set. (Teams often meet once a week at first and change to twice a week as we get closer to the competition - generally, end of January or beginning of February.) I will provide the coaches all of the information they need, which can be found online as well. Coaches must attend one or two trainings, as instructed by OM. I will handle the “paperwork” - online registrations, payments, etc. Coaches will need to pay for a background check, though it’s a nominal fee for school volunteers. Be sure to tell them why you need one. For the regional and state competitions, NSE will cover the team fees. There is no cost to students. If your team qualifies and goes to Worlds, the district will help defray costs by paying for housing and meal plans for students, however travel must be covered by the families. If there is a financial need, we can often help with that. Please do not hesitate to participate for this reason.
General Timeline:
Mid-October - Teams begin practices.
Jan/Feb - I host a spontaneous problem practice session after school, allowing coaches to see how their team will perform “under pressure”.
Early March - I host a dress rehearsal.
March - Regional Competition (Date TBD)
March/April - State Competition (Date TBD) - For teams that qualify at the Regional Competition. (Only problems one through five, not primary.)
End of May - World Finals for teams that qualify
Please reach out with any questions. I am here to help!!
kristin.becker@redclay.k12.de.us
Registration Deadline: Friday, September 22nd
Link to Google Registration Form:
First lego league
First LEGO League is built around theme-based challenges to engage children in research, problem solving, coding, and engineering. The foundation of the program is the FIRST Core Values, which emphasize teamwork, discovery, and innovation. Students emerge more confident, excited, and equipped with the skills they need in a changing workforce.
If you are interested in Lego League, please visit www.firstlegoleague.org for detailed information.
North Star Elementary participates in the EXPLORE age group. I am here to coordinate teams for you, basically match coaches with team members.
Your team will practice once or twice a week to prepare for competitions of your choice. In the past there have been a number of Lego League EXPOs in our area, but none in the last few years. I will host an EXPO at North Star in the spring.
The Lego League program is completely parent-run. All students on the team do not have to attend North Star. There is no limit to the number of teams in this program, so as long as I have volunteer coaches, I will continue to form teams. I often have to form a waiting list of students interested in Lego League due to lack of parent coaches, so please seriously consider coaching or co-coaching a team.
List of Coaching Responsibilities:
complete a background check through Lego League
complete the full volunteer packet through NSE
reach out to team members when the above are complete
set a day and time and location for weekly practices - NSE is available - just reach out to me
register on the LL website - you will then receive all the "lesson plans" needed
request funds from families to cover the start-up cost of the registration/workbooks
run weekly meetings
participate in the NSE Expo in March/April (and any others that may be available in the community if you'd like)
coaches/teams do NOT need to purchase the LEGO Spike Set as I have them to lend to teams
Contact me at kristin.becker@redclay.k12.de.us with any questions.
science olympiad
Delaware Science Olympiad graciously hosts an elementary SO competition every spring. North Star's team is comprised of ten fifth graders. Information about the program is shared with all fifth graders and their families at the beginning of each school year. Interested students submit applications to Ms. Becker. The statewide competition takes place in the spring.
For more information, visit:
spelling bee
Each year North Star Elementary School hosts the Scripps Spelling Bee. As with the Geography Bee, all fourth and fifth graders participate in the preliminary round, followed by a school bee of the top ten participants, with the winner competing in the state bee. The State of Delaware bee winner advances to the national competition.
For more information, visit: