Wellsville Team Finishes 5th at Odyssey of the Mind World Finals

The team from Wellsville Secondary School is shown outside at Michigan State University

(Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan) – The Wellsville Central School Odyssey of the Mind team finished in a tie for fifth place out of 55 teams from all over the world at the 38th annual Odyssey of the Mind World Finals.  The competition was held at Michigan State University from May 24-27.  The Problem 5 Division 3 team consists of Skyler Stisser, Rachael Ferraloro, Alysa Daily, Justin Cole, Alyssa Kear, Ashley Reitz, and Braden Scott.  Jennifer Parks is their coach.  The teens excelled at the Region 19 Tournament in Wellsville and again at the State Tournament in Binghamton, where they earned the honor to advance to the four-day international tournament, representing New York State.

Founded in 1978, Odyssey of the Mind is the largest international creative problem-solving tournament in the world.  The program encourages students, from kindergarten through college, to use original and divergent thinking as a team sport.  Divergent problems -- that is, those with more than one solution -- encourage students to learn and lead the way using 21st century skills.  By working in teams of up to seven members, participants learn teamwork, the appreciation and understanding of others, and the concept that a group is a more powerful thinking force than an individual. At World Finals, teams have an once-in-a-lifetime experience to form friendships that span the globe, through a common goal of being creative and having fun. Read more...