Odyssey of the Mind 2005

Odyssey of the Mind 2005

River Oaks Elementary School PTO

2008 Kirby Drive
Houston, Texas 77019
phone 713/942-1460
fax 713/942-1463

Send mail to
ROE PTO Webmaster with any questions or comments.

How Did ROE Teams Do At 2005 World Finals?

Our ROE teams represented us well at the recent World Finals in Boulder, CO (May 21-24, 2005). The 4th Chennisi/Wagner team placed 14th (out of 46 teams) in their problem and the Caplan/Juzswik team placed 20th (out of 51 teams).

The teams thank you for all your support and look forward to next year's OM!!

The following Texas teams placed in the top 6 of their respective division/problem (several of these teams have former ROE students!!):

# 1st Place World Champions Lanier Middle School - Div. 2, "Get The Message?"
# 6th Place River Oaks Baptist School - Div. 2, "Get The Message?

# 2nd Place Friendswood Junior High School - Div. 2, "In Your Dreams"
# 4th Place St. John's School - Div. 2, "In Your Dreams"

# 4th Place Texas A&M University - Div. 4, "Stunt Mobiles"

Click here for all Texas teams' results.

Click here to find out all scores

River Oaks Elementary Teams in Colorado for
Odyssey of the Mind World Finals 2005

Houston, Texas. April 11, 2005

This May, two River Oaks Elementary teams from Houston will travel to the University of Colorado, Boulder, for the Odyssey of the Mind 2005 World Finals, an international problem-solving competition for students of all ages. The Caplan/Juzswik team and the Chennisi/Wagner team both placed first in their respective problem categories at the Texas Odyssey of the Mind Association Finals on April 9 at Westchester Academy for International Studies in Houston. ROE was represented by eight teams at this tournament.

The Chennisi/Wagner team solved the long-term problem, Get the Message. They presented an original performance that includes a story told three times, each time using a different method of communication: a primitive method, an evolved method, and a futuristic method created by the team. The team's presentation included a story told operatically, in the form of a silent movie, and as a dream sequence. The team consists of fourth graders Andrew Chennisi, Dylan Wagner, Alex Lux, Kirby Ledvina, Jane Foreman and Annie Stevenson. This is the third year the team has participated in Odyssey of the Mind, and their first trip to World Finals.

The Caplan/Juzswik team solved the long-term problem, Laugh-a-thon. Their solution included candy characters that come alive. M & M the rapper is briefly controlled by a brainy bad-guy Nerd whose ambition is to take over the world. A sticky secret agent called Double-0-Bubble and his clumsy sidekick Butterfingers, a French-accented Musketeer, a silent but resourceful Dum Dum, Laffy-Taffy the clown and Jolly Rancher the farmer set out to save the day. The team members are third graders Joseph Caplan, Helen Galli, Daniel Halevy, Mikaela Juzswik, Sonia Margolin, Ryan Ogden and Kieran Vanderslice. This is the second year the team has participated in Odyssey of the Mind, and their first trip to World Finals.

World Finals is a major educational event. Nearly 800 teams will come from throughout the U.S. and about 20 other countries to compete. Of those, only 15 or so will claim the title of World Champion of Creative Problem-Solving.

Questions? Email Carolyn Caplan at ccaplan@houston.rr.com or Barbara Ostdiek at ostdiek@ruf.rice.edu. You can also check the Texas Odyssey web site at http://www.txodyssey.org or the Odyssey of the Mind web site at http://www.odysseyofthemind.com.