Photo courtesy of Carroll ISD Odyssey of the Mind.
CMS Division 2 Problem 3 team at the end of their performance pictured with their buddies from China at the World Finals in 2016. Five of eight teams served as a "Buddy Team" at the World Finals. Photo courtesy of Carroll ISD Odyssey of the Mind.
After sending nine teams to the World Finals at Iowa State University last year, the Carroll ISD Odyssey of the Mind program looks to top its strongest performance of any district in the state of Texas as it gears up for the 2017 season. Another proud Dragon Tradition, the nonprofit organization teaches students problem-solving skills. An estimated 22 teams will form to start the year off, including 10 returning squads from last year.
Students from every campus are participating on these various teams, with Durham Intermediate School having the most students participating. Twenty-nine students will represent the school on different Division 1 and 2 teams. In addition, there are four Division 3 (high school grades 9-12) teams, seven Division 2 teams (grades 6-8) and 10 Division 1 teams (grades K-5).
There is also a primary team, which is a non-competitive category for students between grades kindergarten and second who want some of the Odyssey experience, but not all of it. There's an estimated 150 students participating in Odyssey of the Mind in total this year.
The first big competition is the North Texas region tournament held at Carroll High School on Feb. 25. The full problem sets have been released by the National Odyssey of the Mind program. Carroll teams are expected to compete in all five problem types: Vehicular, Technical, Classics, Structural and Performance.
Sponsors this year are: King Insurance Agency, Jarrett Logistics, Hexpool Compounding, Musicmaker Conservatory, Zaniac After School STEM Enrichment Program and SAGT.