Odyssey of the Mind Team Earns a Shot at Virginia State Title!

For the second year in a row, Foxcroft School students are going to the Virginia State Odyssey of the Mind Championships! Using only 13.2 grams of balsa wood, a team of four sophomores and two freshmen built a structure that held 445 pounds to place first in the “Structures” division of the regional competition held March 24 at Tuscarora High School in Leesburg. 

The winning team, comprised of sophomores Alicia G., Melody K., Sarah M., and Vivian T. and freshmen Phoebe F. and Soo Min L., will compete in the State Championships in Newport News on Saturday, April 14. They are working hard to surpass last year's bronze-medal winning effort.
This team's challenge was to create a structure made only of balsa wood and glue that met a variety of requirements and held up under enormous amounts of pressure. They also were required to create a skit that would put the testing of their structure into a story context.
In addition to the “Structures” team, a team comprised of five freshmen and one sophomore team competed in the “Classics” Division at the regional competition, placing a close second and just missing a trip to States. The “Classics” problem this year challenged students to write a comedic reimagining of Hamlet in which a lead character was faced making an important decision. This skit had to include two forms of musical theater, a trap door, a type of theatrical comedy, a conscience character, and a rewriting of the timeless quote from Hamlet’s soliloquy, “To be or not to be,” -- all in a short eight minutes.

Freshmen Meredith D. Daphne F., Maddy K., Gabriela P., and Lily P., and sophomore Mist L. put together a clever presentation and did well in the spontaneous section.
Odyssey of the Mind is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college. Thousands of teams from throughout the U.S. and from about 25 other countries participate in the program.
The long-term problems( after which divisions are named) count for one-half of the scoring; the other half is a spontaneous problem that the team is given at the competition. Although students may have practiced, they can't possibly be prepared for that challenge. The long-term problems, on the other hand, are presented months ahead of the competition and teams spend hours creating solutions and the skits through which they are presented. Everything presented is completely student-created.
 
Last year, Foxcroft sent two teams to the State Championships and brought home bronze medals in both categories.
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An all-girls boarding and day school in Northern Virginia, Foxcroft prepares young women in grades 9-12 for success in college and in life. Our outstanding academic program offers challenging courses, including Advanced Placement classes and an innovative STEM program. Our premiere equestrian program is nationally recognized, and our athletic teams have won conference and state championships. Experience the best in girls' boarding schools: visit Foxcroft.