​2022-2023 was a record-breaking year for Student Competitions.  A total of four teams from the Cattaraugus-Allegany region excelled at their regional qualifying tournaments, advanced to the State competitions, and earned advancements to the World competitions. Congratulations to two VEX Robotics teams from Wellsville Central School, coached by Justin Skrzynski and Caitlin Bowen.  These two teams traveled to Dallas, Texas last month to compete in the ‘Spin Up’ game. Check out next year’s game, ‘Over Under’  at https://www.roboticseducation.org/teams/vex-roboticscompetition/.  CABOCES will host TWO Qualifying Tournaments next year, December 20th, 2023 at Belfast Central School and February 14th, 2024 at Franklinville Central School. 
 
Congratulations to two Odyssey of the Mind teams from Salamanca Central School, coached by Janette McClure and Brenda Windus. These two teams traveled to Michigan State University this month to compete in Problem 4, ‘Where’s the Structure?’. Next year’s Long-Term problems have just been released and will be posted at odysseyofthemind.com. CABOCES will host the Region 19 Odyssey of the Mind Tournament next year, Saturday, March 23rd, 2024 at Salamanca Central School. 
 
For more information about CoSer 506 Student Competitions, contact jean_oliverio@caboces.org. 

By: Jean Oliverio, CA BOCES Student Programs

​An Odyssey of the Mind team from Seneca Intermediate School (Salamanca Central School District), coached by Janette McClure, was awarded the Ranatra Fusca Creativity Award at the Odyssey of the Mind 2022 World Finals held at the Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. The Awards and Closing Ceremonies took place on Saturday, May 28, 2022, after three days of competition.
This team qualified for the World Finals tournament after finishing in first place at both the Region 19 and NY State Finals held in March of 2022.

Student Programs inspires creative problem-solving, teamwork, deep thinking, and resilience.  This year, more than ever, students, coaches, and the Student Programs team were challenged to apply these traits to achieve the impossible, virtually. 
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While some regions chose to cancel student competitions this year, CABOCES reimagined them all as virtual events.  Despite countless obstacles, innovative teams found ways to participate and excel, thanks to supportive administration and dedicated coaches who were willing to take a risk.  Coaches, students, and judges faced a steep learning curve of mastering the complicated new format of virtual competitions.  The Student Programs team would like to recognize some highlights of the 2020-2021 CABOCES Regional Student Competitions.

Scholastic Challenge (November 2020)
At the uncertain start of the school year, nine districts came together, virtually, and formed a total of 21 teams.  Ellicottville Central School, coached by Ann Chamberlain and Chris Edwards, won 1st place honors in both the Junior and Senior divisions.

Odyssey of the Mind Multi-Regional Tournament (March 2021)
Allegany-Limestone Elementary School took a risk by joining Odyssey of the Mind for the first time. Starting a new membership is impressive in a year that caused many established memberships to drop due to the obvious obstacles. Kimberly Voegelin’s Problem 5 Division 1 team received Region 19’s OMER Award and ended up in 5th place in the New York State Tournament.  Congratulations on establishing a new membership and Division 1 team.

Bolivar-Richburg Central School’s Problem 5 Division 1 team, coached by Carol McClellan, earned a 4th place finish in New York State.  Also, Margaret Werner’s Problem 5 Division 2 team earned an impressive 1st place in the Spontaneous portion of the state competition.
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Seneca Intermediate (Salamanca) School’s Problem 4 Division 2, coached by Janette McClure and Brenda Windus, earned a 3rd place finish in New York State.  Despite the pandemic, they remarkably built a balsa wood structure that held a weight of 202 pounds.  They are currently competing in the 2021 Odyssey of the Mind Virtual World Finals along with 873 teams from all over the world.

NASEF (eSports) NYS Tournament: Rocket League (6-week season and playoffs; March-April 2021)
A pandemic school year might be the best AND worst time to launch a new Student Programs event. Congratulations to two school districts that led the way and were successful in their first eSports season.

Cuba-Rushford Central School’s eSports team competed in the NASEF Rocket League tournament and finished as NYS Finalists and 12th place nationally.  The team consisted of all Seniors who played on school computers located in the library.   Thank you and congratulations to Cuba-Rushford’s Jay Morris who served as General Manager.
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Salamanca City School fielded two Warrior eSports teams and they ended the regular season ranked in 4th and 15th place. Salamanca eSports is fully funded and recognized by the Salamanca Board of Education as a Varsity Sport, with all the benefits and academic responsibilities that come with that designation.  Congratulations to the Warrior’s General Managers Justin Schapp, Aaron Straus, and Kim Dry.

VEX Robotics Skills Challenge (February 2021) and FIRST Lego League Championship Event (April 2021)
Building a robot in a normal year is difficult.  Building a robot during a pandemic, with school closures and quarantines, sounds impossible.  Yet, one school district found a way to field four VEX teams, coached by Dave Taylor, and four Lego League teams, coached by Dawn Wardner.
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Franklinville Central School’s teams worked hard and engineered an impressive season.  Collectively, the VEX teams earned the Design Award, the Robot Skills 2nd Place Award, and the Robot Skills Champion Award at the CABOCES Skills Challenge in February and, all four teams advanced to the Northern NYS Finals in April.

Additionally, one of Dawn Wardner’s Lego League teams scored in 5th place in the robot matches at the New York State Championship Event.

​​Now is the time to plan to join the fun in the 2021-2022 school year!

Follow this link https://caboces.org/services/student-programs/extra-curricular-activities/ as next year’s events will be published here as soon as they are confirmed.  Contact jean_oliverio@caboces.org for more information.

By: Jean Oliverio, CA BOCES Student Programs

The Region 19 Odyssey of the Mind tournament was scheduled to take place on Saturday, March 14 at Allegany-Limestone Middle/High School.  The ISS Student Programs team, along with 30 teams across the region, were packed and ready.  On March 12, the announcement was made to cancel the tournament.  For many of us, this was the first indicator that our lives were about to change dramatically.
 
The five remaining regional tournaments across New York state also canceled, as did the NY State Tournament.  However, there are some worthwhile points to remember:

• The Odyssey season was not canceled.  Thirty teams in the region worked hard for months to prepare their solutions. Every team creatively solved their long-term problem.
• Kori Thomas, an eighth grader at Bolivar-Richburg Central School, designed the cover of the Coach notebooks that were to be given out on tournament day.  The notebooks were delivered to coaches this month.
• Seven Seniors, six from Allegany-Limestone Middle/High School and one from Salamanca City Central School received a lanyard, pin, notebook, and 2020 shirt.  They were also recognized on NYSOMA social media.
• The six Allegany-Limestone Seniors, along with their coach, Kiki Youngs, and Odyssey coordinator, Penny Owen, recorded a Zoom video announcement, on behalf of NYSOMA.  The video announced that Sue Pircio, retired Allegany-Limestone teacher, was this year’s recipient of the ‘Friend of NYSOMA’ award.
• Certificates and programs were delivered to coaches, upon request.  Coaches are still creatively wrapping up the season and finding ways to safely celebrate the hard work of their teams.

 
It is cathartic to reminisce, and it is also exciting to look ahead to next year. The 2020-2021 Problem Synopses have been released at https://www.odysseyofthemind.com/2021ltproblems/.
 
There is no doubt that the teams, coaches, and the Student Programs team will be ready to think creatively, solve problems, and adjust to new challenges that will be on the horizon.  After all, that is what Odyssey of the Mind is all about.
 
Jean Oliverio, Student Programs
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Congratulations to all teams that participated in this year's Odyssey of the Mind Region 19 Tournament!  

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

 
(Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan) –The Wellsville Central School Odyssey of the Mind team participated in the 38th annual  Odyssey of the Mind World Finals  at Michigan State University from May 24-27.   The Problem 5 Division 3 team consists of Skyler Stisser, Rachael Ferraloro, Alysa Daily, Justin Cole, Alyssa Kear, Ashley Reitz, and Braden Scott.  Jennifer Parks is their coach.  They excelled at the Region 19 Tournament in Wellsville and the State Tournament in Binghamton, where they earned the honor to advance to the 4 day international tournament, representing New York State. 

Founded in 1978, Odyssey of the Mind is the largest international creative problem-solving tournament in the world.  The program encourages students, from kindergarten through college, to use 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.

Over 850 teams from throughout the United States and 13 other countries compete in Odyssey of the Mind. Teams from the US, Canada, China, South Korea, India, Japan, Russia, Poland, Germany, Singapore, Slovakia, Switzerland, Italy, and Mexico traveled to Michigan State University, making this year’s tournament the largest one in 38 years.

Over 20,000 students and supporters, from different cultures and widely varying backgrounds, prove that creativity is universal. The high-energy tournament embodies an international spirit of teamwork.  While the competition is fierce, there is also a feeling of camaraderie amongst competitors. At World Finals, teams have an once-in-a-lifetime experience to form friendships that span the globe, through a common goal of being creative and having fun. 

(Wellsville, New York)  On Saturday, March 25, 2017, 35 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.

Wellsville 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 8 and possibly World Finals at Michigan State University on May 24-27.

Teams from 12 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 the Mind:  
 
Problem 1: Catch Us If You Can
This is your Odyssey, should you choose to accept it! Each team will design, build, and run vehicles from a multi-level Parking Garage to a secret meeting place without being stopped. Vehicles will travel different routes to reach the same destination. During their Odyssey, the vehicles will do something that prevents them from being followed. The performance will include the reason for the meeting, someone that wants to prevent the meeting, a simulation of a scene taking place inside a vehicle as it travels, and a soundtrack to accompany the vehicles’ travel.

Problem 2:  Odd-a-Bot
Teams will create a humorous story about a family that brings home an “Odd-a-Bot.” Instead of being programmed to perform tasks, this Odd-a-Bot robot learns from watching others. Teams will design, build, and operate an original robot that demonstrates human characteristics when performing tasks. In the performance, the Odd-a-Bot will move and learn human actions from watching characters perform activities such as household chores, creating art, and dancing. The Odd-a-Bot learns more than it was expected to learn, and will confuse its actions with humorous results.

Problem 3: Classics… It’s Time, OMER
The future and the past collide in this problem about important works of art – both existing and yet-to-be-created. Teams will create and present an original performance about time travelers looking to discover the inspiration for great works of art, little did they know – it was OMER every time! The travelers go back in time — twice into our past and once into our future. They will see OMER inspire two classical artists and a team-created artist from our future. The performance will include how the three works of art positively impact the world, a visual and audible effect that indicates when time travel is occurring, two re-creations of the classic works of art selected from a list, and a team-created work of art.

Problem 4: Ready, Set, Balsa, Build! 
Creativity can be defined by using only what you have to get a job done. In this problem, teams will design, build, and test a structure made of only balsa wood and glue that will balance and support as much weight as possible. The structure must include sets of balsa pieces of predetermined sizes and quantities as listed in the problem. Some sets must be parts of the structure while others, if incorporated, will receive additional score – the more sets of pieces used, the higher the score! Teams will present a performance with a theme about using what’s available and that incorporates weight-placement and assembling original team creations.

Problem 5: To Be Continued: A Superhero Cliffhanger 
Creativity is being taken away from the world, and it is up to Odyssey teams to rescue it! Teams will create and present a humorous performance about an unexpected superhero that encounters three different situations where it must save creativity in some way. The superhero will change appearance when it displays its superpowers and go back to blending in with society when not. The performance will also include a clumsy sidekick, a nemesis character, a choreographed battle, and a cliffhanger ending.
 
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.
Spectators are welcome to join in the excitement of the day.  CABOCES is still recruiting volunteers.  No prior experience is needed and training will be provided.  Anyone interested in getting involved is encouraged to call (716) 376-8323. 
Saturday, March 25 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 the arts and learning new things in a fun environment. 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 25 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.

(Randolph, New York) – On Saturday, March 14, 2015, 49 teams from across the Southern Tier will be showcasing their creativity during the Odyssey of the Mind Regional competition.  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.

Randolph Central School will be hosting more than 300 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 11 and possibly World Finals at Michigan State University on May 20-23.

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 the Mind:  

Problem 1: Runaway 'Train'
The team’s problem is to design, build and operate one or more vehicles that will travel on tracks and make stops at different stations without touching the floor. While traveling between stations, the vehicles must overcome obstacles —moving uphill, towing something, and more. The theme of the performance will explain the vehicle’s difficulties on the track and will include a ‘conductor’ character. Once the vehicle reaches its final destination it will display a flag or banner during a victory lap!

Problem 2: Problem 2: Experiencing Technical Difficulties
The problem is to design, build, and demonstrate various devices that complete specific tasks. The team will create a theme where technical failures must be resolved through completing the tasks. There will be a list of tasks to choose from including ring a bell, change the wording on something, sound an alarm, move an object, etc. There will also be a mysterious engineer character. Of course, there’s a twist — all of the devices must be powered by rubber bands!

Problem 3: Problem 3: Pandora’s Box 
In this classics problem, teams will put a video game spin on the story of Pandora’s Box. A gamer character will take on this multi-level game inspired by the Greek myth. The game will include a prologue that depicts the original story of Pandora’s Box, three characters representing different evils that escaped the box, and a power meter that represents the gamer character’s health. To beat the game, the player will advance to the final level where it will release hope into the world.

Problem 4: Problem 4: Lose Your Marbles 
This problem requires teams to design, build, and test a structure, made only of balsa wood and glue, that will balance and support as much weight as possible. The structure will also hold five marbles that will be released during weight placement as a result of a team-created device removing a piece of the structure. After the crusher board and one additional weight are placed on top of the structure, the first marble will be released. After the next weight is supported, the team will use its device to release another marble, and so on. The team will incorporate weight placement and “losing your marbles” into the theme of the performance.

Problem 5: Problem 5: Silent Movie
Lights, camera...action! In this problem teams will create and present a performance depicting a Director character that produces and presents a silent movie featuring a humorous villain character that commits three silly acts of “villainy”. Characters that are in the movie may not speak as part of the presentation of the movie. Instead, like classic silent films, the team will use music played on a team-created instrument and creatively displayed subtitles to convey its story to the audience and judges. Also, teams will use a signal to indicate when the movie begins and ends. 

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.

Spectators are welcome to join in the excitement of the day.  CABOCES is still recruiting volunteers.  No prior experience is needed and training will be provided.  Anyone interested in getting involved is encouraged to call (716) 376-8284. 

Saturday, March 14 is the culmination of many months of work from students, coaches, parents and judges who all work together with the common goal of expressing creativity, supporting the arts and learning new things in a fun environment. The tournament starts at 8:30 and continues throughout the day. The Awards Ceremony begins around 3:15.

Thousands of teams from throughout the United States and 25 other countries participate in this program.  For more information visit www.odysseyofthemind.com, www.nysoma.org or call CABOCES Student Programs at 716-376-8284.

(Wellsville, New York) – On Saturday, March 15, 2014, 45 teams from across the Southern Tier will be showcasing their creativity during the Odyssey of the Mind Regional competition.  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.