The Sagemont School wins 1st Place at Florida Regional Odyssey of the Mind Competition

March 3, 2009 - PRLog -- 27 teams competed in Division 1 and Sagemont received ( 2) 4th place awards for their group problems  and (1) 1st place award with an advancement to the state competition for their team problem.

The Sagemont Kids will be representing the Palm Region and The Sagemont School at the Florida State Odyssey of the Mind competition on Saturday, April 4th in Orlando Florida.

All three Sagemont teams performed their long term program skits according to all the given parameters.  The teams received many compliments for their creativity, originality, teamwork, and overall presence at the competition. One judge even remarked that Sagemont has made its presence known in the Palms Region in the last two years of competition. Also, two Sagemont teams received the highest Spontanoeus Problem event scores for their team solutions by exceeding the 100 point limit. Their representation of what Sagemont students can achieve rose above and beyond all expectations.

Student Quotes:

“I was very surprised, really happy, and astonished that we got 1st place.  But, I feel we deserved it because we really worked hard, we made a great script, worked as a team, and agreed on the ideas for the presentation.” Karl Ackermann, 4th grade

“The judges complemented us on how we showed a lot of team work and creativity.  They said we were the best they saw today.” Fernanda Lago, 4th grade

“I was so proud of my entire team and can’t wait for the state competition.” Jacob Baldauf, 4th grade

The Odyssey of the Mind program provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college.

The main mission is for children to have an arena to express their creativity and to learn to work with their peers as a team. Team members apply their creativity to solve problems that range from building mechanical devices to presenting their own interpretation of literary classics. They then bring their solutions to competition on the local, state, and World level.

Sagemont Enrichment teacher and Odyssey coach, Doris Quintero says, “Odyssey of the Mind is truly a creative experience for kids. Watching the children interact, delegate, create, and have fun while learning valuable life skills is why I commit to coaching them. The biggest challenge I face is stepping back and letting them prepare the entire program for the competition.”  Kids are rewarded for how they apply their creativity, knowledge, skills, and talents. Teams are coached and supervised by adults, but cannot accept help, ideas, solutions from an adult or anyone outside of their team.

This will be Sagemont’s 2nd year at the competition. Last year’s teams placed 3rd and 5th in their division. In their first year, Sagemont had an Omer winner which is a prestigious award given to a student who exhibits the spirit of the competition and team by providing encouragement, praise and enthusiasm to their teammates and other teams.

The kids and teachers are excited to go to Orlando on April 4th to compete with other schools across the nation in Orlando, Florida.

For more information please contact:
Joann Laskin/Lower Campus Principal/954-384-5454
Doris Quintero/Lower Campus Enrichment Teacher/954-384-5454

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The Sagemont School operates two campuses in Weston. The Lower School Campus serves students in PreK3- Grade 5; the Upper School Campus serves Grade 6 through 12. The faculty and staff at The Sagemont School are dedicated to parent-teacher relationships in a high-tech learning environment. With multiple computers in each classroom, and small class size, children are learning the skills they will need to be successful both in school and later in life. Visit The Sagemont School Web site at http://www.sagemont.com

For more information on The Sagemont School contact Dr. Brent Goldman, President at (954) 389-2454 ext, 305, or email bgoldman@sagemont.com