Vermont Odyssey of the Mind

Everyone who has volunteered to serve as a judge at the 2019 Odyssey of the Mind State Tournament is required to attend a judges’ training session. This is a 3.5 hour training. Refreshments will be provided.

Date:  March 2

Time:  9:00 am – 12:30 pm

Venue

Essex Middle School

60 Founders Road
Essex Junction, VT 05452

Map (copy and paste into browser):

 

https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=60+Founders+Road+Essex+Junction+VT+05452+United+States

• you registered to be an official, but not a judge (eg. Sales, Judges’ Lounge, etc)
• you have already been trained for Problem 2 with Sean Leach
• Tim Vile (Problem 1 PC) has contacted you, you will be trained on the day of the Tournament
• Donna Shepardson (Spontaneous) has contacted you, or you stated that you will work on Spontaneous, you will be trained on the day of the Tournament

Registration is required. Please reply to this email if you will attend. (This is so I know how much to bring for refreshments.)

Thank you for volunteering. We could not have a Tournament without you. It is my favorite day of the year (yes, it beats Halloween).

See you at training!

Vermont Creativity Quest, Inc. offers a $500 scholarship to a former or present participant of Odyssey of the Mind in Vermont to be used by the recipient for higher (post-secondary) education. Division III (High School) participation will be viewed especially favorably.  Applicants (High School seniors or first-year post-secondary school enrollees) may apply by completing the scholarship application (http://vt.odysseyofthemind.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/VCQ-2019-Scholarship-application.pdf). Former VCQ scholarship recipients may not apply.

Want to have one of the most rewarding Saturdays of your life? Become a Vermont Odyssey Judge for this year’s Tournament.

You must be available for the entire day on Tournament Day (16 March) and for the morning of 02 March for Judges’ Training.

https://www.odysseyofthemind.com/reg/registration_step.php?g=ootm&s=judge&c=17239

Registration is through the Members’ Area on the OM website using your membership number (from membership registration) and zip code. We also ask that you provide a judge or official to volunteer at the Tournament. Judge Volunteers MUST be available for Judge Training Saturday, March 2, 2019 from 9 AM – 12:30 PM in Essex AND for the FULL day of the Tournament Saturday, March 16, 2019 from 7:30 AM – about 4 – 4:30 PM. Please plan ahead.

https://www.odysseyofthemind.com/member-area/

Once logged in, select “Team registration” from the list on the left of the screen. This is also where your judges and volunteers find their registration portal.

Tournament registration fee is $75 for Division 1-3, $25 for Primary. Late registration (after Jan. 18), fees double ($150 for Division 1-3, $50 for Primary).

Payment is due Feb. 2, 2019. Payments made after Feb. 2, a penalty applies.

Payment may be made by check or by credit card through PayPal.  Payments through PayPal will be charged a 4% service fee.

• Southern Spontaneous Scrimmage, Session 1, 1:00pm

Teams will put their spontaneous skills to the test in this mock spontaneous competition. They will experience all three different types of spontaneous problems and will be given feedback on their performance. This session will last one hour (1:00 – 2:00).

Registration is required and space is limited. (email the organizer)

We still have space available!

• Northern Spontaneous Scrimmage, Session 1, 9:00am

Teams will put their spontaneous skills to the test in this mock spontaneous competition. They will experience all three different types of spontaneous problems and will be given feedback on their performance. This session will last one hour (9:00 – 10:00).

Registration is required and space is limited. (email the organizer)

• Coaches’ Meeting with Problem Captains

Problem Captains will be available from 10:00 – 11:00 to meet with coaches. Ask questions, learn about the problem site and any special issues for this year’s problems.

Registration is NOT required.

• Northern Spontaneous Scrimmage, Session 1, 9:00am

Teams will put their spontaneous skills to the test in this mock spontaneous competition. They will experience all three different types of spontaneous problems and will be given feedback on their performance. This session will last one hour (11:00 – 12:00).

Registration is required and space is limited. (email the organizer)

We know that creative problem solving provides great educational experiences, including many lifelong skills and friendships. We recognize the importance of focusing on your experience and how it enhances your overall education. This is one reason we hold World Finals on a university campus. The costs of running a creative problem-solving program are significant, but are not as great as you might think. Let’s use Odyssey of the Mind, the longest running and largest program of its kind as an example.

An entire school can participate in Odyssey of the Mind for $135. This is for 5 to 15 teams with unlimited Primary (K-2) teams.. There is a modest registration fee to participate in our local tournaments that are lower than what most pay to participate in a DI local tournament..

Our World Finals teams are offered packages that include rooms and meals from dinner on arrival and breakfast on departure. These range in cost from $545 to $655 depending on your arrival date –and you can mix packages. A team of 7 with 2 coaches would be $4,905. If a team wants to stay off campus on its own there is a registration fee of $3,000. At the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals friends and family can attend the Opening and Awards Ceremonies. Teams receive a complimentary team photo. Everyone is invited to participate in our Creativity Festival and International Festival. Friends and family can watch their favorite teams perform, and we encourage teams to watch other performances. These activities and events are free. There are no additional fees. In dealing with large groups of people safety is a concern. We provide a complimentary shuttle that never leaves campus, dining halls where you eat, and rooms on campus surrounded by other teams from all over the world. At World Finals all you need to think about is presenting your solution, trading pins, and making friends!

We do not want anyone to miss out on the benefits of creative problem solving and, for those teams that advance, the sharing of creativity in an international group on a university campus, especially because of the cost. Odyssey of the Mind is willing to step in and step up. If you provide proof of payment for your Team Number for this year and a letter announcing that you wish to switch to Odyssey of the Mind, your school will receive a complimentary membership in Odyssey of the Mind for 2018-2019. Simply mail, fax, or email those along with a completed registration form. We will process your membership and provide you login information to access the current long-term problems and other team materials. Due to the timing of tournaments, registration deadlines will be moved back to January 15.

Odyssey of the Mind has spent more than 40 years putting the educational benefit of our participants first. Our problems are created by developers with more than 100 years of experience. Problems that “challenge” creative thinkers require a great deal of experience and skill. Our focus on the quality of the problems demonstrates our commitment to the experience and benefits of participation.

Now is a great time to join others from all over who are making the change to Odyssey of the Mind.

We have planned the following workshops for December 8:

Balsa Techniques (8 AM) (no registration required)

Performance Polish (Style), Spontaneous Workshop, Cardboard Construction, and Sewing Basics (Two sessions for each–9-10:30 AM and 10:30-noon). Registration is required for these workshops and space is limited–email vtootm@accessvt.com. See the Event Schedule for details.

This event is free and no registration is necessary. All coaches, and those thinking they might want to coach, are encouraged to attend. Veteran coaches are especially encouraged to attend and support the newcomers.

This event will be held at Essex Middle School, 60 Founders Road, Essex Junction, VT.

This event is free and no registration is necessary. All coaches, and those thinking they might want to coach, are encouraged to attend. Veteran coaches are especially encouraged to attend and support the newcomers.

This event will be held at Otter Valley Union High School, 2997 Franklin St., Brandon, VT 05733.