The members of Aspen Elementary Odyssey of the Mind Team solve a tricky problem during a visit by the Los Alamos Daily Post recently. Photo by Bonnie J. Gordon/ladailypost.com

The whole team warmly welcomes the Los Alamos Daily Post to their meeting. Photo by Bonnie J. Gordon/ladailypost.com

Excitement levels were high during a recent visit to the Odyssey of the Mind team at Aspen Elementary School.

The six-member team was in the midst of a problem-solving activity. They were charged with getting a balloon to stick as high as possible on a wall. After some brainstorming, they did it!

Odyssey of the Mind is the World’s largest problem solving competition. Students from kindergarten through high school compete to solve problems and get creative.

Odyssey problems have challenged students to design mechanical dinosaurs, invent new factory machinery, build working vehicles, write a new chapter to Moby Dick, put a twist on classic artworks, turn Pandora’s Box into a video game, and so much more.

The Aspen team, which includes members from grades 3, 4 and 5, was formed in October by teachers Victoria Daley and Matthew Allen, who just happen to be married to each other.

Daley grew up in Los Alamos. They had been teaching in Virginia for a number of years and when they relocated, they wanted to bring the Odyssey program to New Mexico.

“In Virginia, it’s really a big deal,” Allen said.

The school district the two teachers came from fielded 18 teams at the regionals, where they competed with more than 100 teams.

The Odyssey of the Mind was born out of the teachings of its founder, Dr. C. Samuel Micklus. During the 1970s at Rowan University in New Jersey, Dr. Micklus challenged his Industrial Design students to use their creativity to solve unique problems. He created a course titled Creative Problem Solving and in 1978, the first competition took place.

Soon after, the name of the program was appropriately changed to Odyssey of the Mind, representing the journey of discovery participants take while using their creativity and natural abilities to solve the program’s challenging problems.

Today, there are associations all around the world serving thousands of schools participating in Odyssey of the Mind.

Teams represent nearly every state in the US and approximately 25 other countries.

Of the five competition problems, the Aspen team chose Classics … Leonardo’s Workshop. The Team will portray his workplace in an original, creative performance. They are recreating a DaVinci painting and making a three-dimensional representation of one of his works. They chose a flying machine.

This isn’t a program just for budding engineers. It develops all kinds of skills, whether it is set-building, costume-making, creating props, acting, singing, or playing an instrument.

During a recent visit, the team held a committee meeting to choose the ending song for their performance. One student chaired the meeting and the team voted by secret ballot.

“The kids do everything,” Daley said. “They write the script, do the costumes, build the set—they do it all themselves.”

Strong bonds form among the team during the months they are working together, Allen said.

“We’re like a family,” he said.

“We’re involved with the kid’s parents as well, which is really great,” Daley said.

What do Allen and Daley love most about the program?

“I love watching the growth of the kids,” Allen said.

Daley agreed. “They grow a lot in this program,” she said.

What do the kids love most?

Here’s a sampling of their comments:
“I like challenging things and this is really challenging.”

“It’s a place where people are really there for me.”

“It’s really fun!”

 The team was clambering to explain that Allen and Daley fell in love while working on the Odyssey Program in Virginia.

“That’s how our love story got started,” Allen affirmed

“He proposed in front of the whole school!” a team member said, obviously impressed.

“We’d like to see more teams in Los Alamos next year,” Allen said. “We’re currently the only team in the state, so we’re traveling to Denver to compete in the Colorado regionals.”

Odyssey teams range from kindergarteners through high school students.

Allen and Daley would love to talk to people interested in learning to coach.

“We’d be happy to serve as mentors,” Allen said. “We love this program.”

The two teachers live near Aspen and walk to school together every day, mostly talking about teaching. Burnout never rears its head, they said.

“We love kids,” Daley said. “This is a great job and the school district is really supportive.”

In order to travel to competitions and fund other aspects of the program, the team needs to raise money. They have teamed up with the Los Alamos Public Schools Foundation to get their message out.

A webpage for possible sponsors is being developed at lapsfoundation.com. Any size contribution will help. In the meantime, contact Allen at m.allen @laschools.net or Daley at v.daley@laschools.net with questions, donations or to talk about the program.

“Don’t forget to ask them to donate stuff we can use,” a team member said. “We’ll take anything, even things you think are trash, like toilet paper rolls.”

Drop off these treasures at the Aspen School Office, and tell them they are for the Odyssey of the Mind team.