State Results: Odyssey of the Mind

Twenty-two student teams from a dozen schools in Spring Branch ISD competed in the Texas Odyssey of the Mind State Finals held Saturday, April 12, at Spring Woods High School.

Odyssey of the Mind is an international program that provides creative problem-solving and learning opportunities to students of all ages, kindergarten up to and through college. Teams apply creativity and group thinking to solve problems or special situations that range from building mechanical devices to presenting their interpretations of literary classics. 

For more than a decade, SBISD parents and students have supported one of the biggest Odyssey programs in Texas. Student teams qualified this year for state from the following SBISD schools:

• Spring Woods High School
• Memorial Middle School
• Cornerstone Academy
• Westchester Academy for International Studies
• Spring Oaks Middle School
• Terrace Elementary
• Nottingham Elementary
• Stratford High School
• Ridgecrest Elementary
• Spring Forest Middle School
• Valley Oaks Elementary
• Memorial Drive Elementary

Based on state competition, the following teams will advance to the Odyssey World Finals May 27-June 1 at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa:

• Spring Woods High School placed 1st in the Theatrical Problem
• Westchester Academy placed 1st in the Engineering Problem
• Spring Oaks Middle placed 2nd in the Engineering Problem
• Cornerstone Academy placed 2nd in the Vehicle Problem

Westchester Academy Team Report
Three Odyssey of the Mind teams from Westchester Academy for International Studies competed in the April 12 Texas State Tournament held at Spring Woods High School.

The 11th grade team (Mia Alfonso from Memorial High, Mitchell Benson, Caroline Bik, Josh Diaz, Daniel Garcia, Cassandra Ung and Paige Williams) came in 1st place in Division 3, Problem 4 – the Stackable Structure.

The team advances to the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals, which will be held May 28-31 at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. Coaches are Karen Benson and Jill Williams.

The 10th grade team (Adrian Villalobos, Diana Villarreal, Gustavo Rocha, Sara Farrokhi, Sam Farrokhi and Sarah Gualy) came in 4th place in Division 3, Problem 3 – It’s How we Rule. Coaches are Elizabeth Villarreal and Farideh Farrokhi.

The seventh grade team (Kaivon Dixon, Dash Jacobs. Madeline Schulman, Meredith Schomburg, Brock Rhebergen, Brian Chung and Ethan Rosenthal) came in 8th place in Division 2, Problem 3 – It’s How We Rule. Coaches are Lharissa Jacobs and Amy Schomburg.