Update:
The following teams are advancing to the Odyssey of the Mind State Tournament at Binghamton University on Saturday, April 7th.  Congratulations to our winning teams!!!

Problem 1:  Triathlon Travels
Division 1 = Ellicottville Central School
Division 2 = Seneca Intermediate School
 
Problem 2: Emoji, Speak for Yourself
Division 1 = Wellsville Elementary School
Division 2 = Bolivar-Richburg Central School (1st place)
                      Wellsville Middle School (2nd place)
 
Problem 3: Classics…Mockumentary!  Seriously?
Division 1 = Wellsville Elementary School
Division 2 = Wellsville Middle School (1st place)
                      Allegany-Limestone Middle/High School (2nd place)
Division 3 = Genesee Valley Central School  (1st place)
                      Wellsville High School (2nd place)
 
Problem 4: Animal House
Division 1 = Seneca Intermediate School
Division 2 = Ellicottville Central School
Division 3 = Salamanca Central School (1st place)
                      Fillmore Central School (2nd place)
 
Problem 5: A Stellar Hangout
Division 1 = Wellsville Elementary School
Division 2 = Wellsville Middle School
Division 3: Allegany-Limestone Middle/High School
 

(Allegany, New York)  On Saturday, March 24, 2018, 37 teams from across the Southern Tier will be showcasing their creativity at the Odyssey of the Mind Regional Tournament.  Odyssey of the Mind is a world-wide creative problem-solving tournament that promotes 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.

Allegany-Limestone Central School will be hosting about 250 creative kids aged ten through eighteen years old, who will be showing off their brain power in this high-energy tournament. The winners, who will be announced at the end of the day, will represent Region 19 at the New York State Tournament at Binghamton University on April 7 and possibly World Finals at Iowa State University on May 23-26.

Teams from 14 area school districts have worked hard to come up with 8 minute solutions to one of these five mind-bending problems posed by Odyssey of Mind:

Problem 1: Triathlon Travels
On your mark…get set…go! In this problem, teams will ride on and drive original vehicles in an Odyssey-style triathlon. They will try to score in “curling,” hit the right targets when “jousting,” and “run track” by navigating a course in two directions. Between these events, the team will entertain the audience and the vehicle will change appearance. All of the action will take place in a team-created performance that features the vehicles’ triathlon travels, a commentator, and a coach.
 
Problem 2: Emoji, Speak for Yourself 
Three-dimensional emojis will be used to communicate the life story of a once famous, but now forgotten, emoji. Teams will create a performance where the emojis demonstrate special functions like growing, turning into a team member, and changing into a different emoji. Performances will also include a choreographed dance, a technical representation of texting, and sounds to enhance the performance. The twist? No spoken language is allowed.
 
Problem 3: Classics… Mockumentary! Seriously?
There are often two sides to the same story. In this problem, characters don’t always agree as they recount the classic story where they appeared. The team will select a classic from a list and present different characters in a humorous documentary-style performance where details are added, denied, exaggerated, and disputed. There will be interviews, behind-the-scenes “clips,” and voice-overs that take the audience through the story and help present the events as they “really” took place. Whose side will you be on?
 
Problem 4: Animal House
Over the years, Odyssey of the Mind teams have designed structures that changed into many unbelievable shapes and sizes that balanced and held as much weight as possible. This year, teams will turn their balsa wood structures into animals! Since animals need to eat, they must be fed. The structure will have its appearance transformed and explained during an original performance. During the performance, the structure must hold the team-created food while it supports weights.
 
Problem 5: A Stellar Hangout
In the outreaches of the universe, there is an Intergalactic Hangout where all sorts of creatures from different worlds stop, eat, refuel, and relax. Teams will create a humorous performance centered on this science fiction hangout that includes original creatures, foods, and a search for space treasure. There will also be a worker character, entertainment, and a futuristic map at the hangout.
 
Students have spent months of their free time solving these problems as well as developing teamwork skills, independent study, friendships, confidence, all while improving their brainstorming and problem-solving techniques. They learn new things and utilize their individual strengths to solve the problem. Teams also learn how to budget money since there is a cost limit to each problem. Throughout the day, one will witness imaginative costumes, elaborate props, dances, original songs and poetry, creative writing and much more.       
                                           
Not only do the participants compete within their chosen problem, but teams must also perform well in a “spontaneous problem”, where they solve a new problem on the spot. They must be creative, quick thinking and work well together as a team.
Saturday, March 24 is the culmination of many months of work from students, coaches, parents and judges who all work together with the common goal of encouraging creativity, supporting STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) and learning new things in a fun environment. Spectators are welcome to join in the excitement of the day.  The competitions start at 8:20 and continue throughout the day. The Awards Ceremony begins around 3:15.

Thousands of teams from throughout the United States and 20 other countries participate in this program.  For more information visit www.odysseyofthemind.com, www.nysoma.org or call CABOCES Student Programs at 716-376-8323.

​By: Jean Oliverio, CA BOCES Student Programming

​“I wanted my students to feel more relaxed and comfortable while they were working on tasks in my classroom.”  These words were spoken by Hinsdale 3rd Grade teacher Christine Goodling when asked about the recent transformation that has occurred in her classroom involving new seating choices and a more flexible furniture arrangement.  Mrs. Goodling continued, “I wanted to create a classroom that was more visually welcoming and engaging, while promoting more collaboration and freedom for the students to work anywhere they pleased.”
 
This might not sound groundbreaking, but there has been an influx of recent research centered around learning space design and school classrooms.  Beyond just making classrooms look appealing or eye-catching, educators around the world have started looking holistically at how schools, classrooms, and other learning spaces can be transformed for optimal student engagement.  A well-designed and thought out classroom space can provide care for students and teachers alike.  These spaces can alleviate outside stressors on students and allow them to focus on learning, while other spaces can be arranged to promote collaboration, creativity, or places for quiet, pensive thinking.
 
Using the book, The Space: A Guide for Educators by Rebecca Louise Hare and Dr. Robert Dillon, Mrs. Goodling and I set about on our journey to transform her classroom into something more learning-centered and student-friendly.  We started with a few guiding questions:
 

• What is the purpose of the learning space?
• Who are the spaces for?
• What kind of behaviors do we want to encourage in these spaces?
• What implications will come from changing these spaces?

 
First, we identified a variety of seating options for each space we were going to create using wobble stools, exercise balls, camping and gaming chairs, as well as keeping a few traditional chairs in the room should a student still prefer one of those to use.  We next identified what we thought each space in the room should be and removed items that were a hindrance to creating an open, flowing, and flexible arrangement in the classroom furniture.  Around the room, places for students to work were created on flat surfaces by applying whiteboard surface film to areas like columns between windows, on the front of the teacher’s desk, and on the sides of carts and other furniture around the room.  A few tables were brought in and replaced student desks, while pillows and beanbag chairs were added to the reading carpet area for comfort. 
 
To make these changes more meaningful and lasting, the final step in the first phase of our classroom transformation process was to sit with the students and review all of the new areas, seating choices, and classroom arrangement opportunities there were now.  The students worked as a class to identify names for each station, like the Chat Café.  They also collaborated to come up with expectations and norms regarding what was acceptable at each location around the room, and this helped to foster a sense of involvement and ownership in these new classroom spaces.  The students have welcomed this change, saying that the new arrangements and options make them feel “more comfortable,” “able to focus on our work better,” and “gives us choices for where to work and how to work around the room.”
 
By Ryan McGinnis, CA BOCES Professional Development

This year at Whitesville Elementary, we have focused our monthly breakfast club theme on Barbara Gruener's book, “What’s Under Your Cape? Superheroes of the Character Kind.”  The book is a wonderful character education resource book for elementary educators. It is filled with ideas, activities, and suggested children's literature which teachers can use as they help to instill good character into the hearts of students.
 
Our monthly themes follow the acronym of SUPERHERO.  Each month during the 2017-18 school year, the students in grades k-4 learn about character education with a mini lesson and a call to action.
 
S - Service
U - Unconditional Acceptance
P - Perseverance
E - Empathy
R - Respect
H - Honesty
E - Enthusiasm
R - Responsibility
O - Obedience

By:  Tessa Levitt, CA BOCES Professional Development

The largest ever Scholastic Challenge Competition was held on Saturday, February 3 at Portville Central School.  This annual event hosted a record breaking 44 teams who competed in a Junior Division and Senior Division, for grades 6-12.

Scholastic Challenge is a fast-paced contest that tests knowledge of academic trivia and current events.  Teams of four students measure their ability to recall details from a wide variety of topics.

Congratulations to all the teams and to the first and second place teams in each division.  Thank you to 50+ volunteers that made the event possible.

By:  Jean Oliverio, CA BOCES Student Programming