Crestview Elementary’s Odyssey of the Mind team was declared World Champions, capturing first place in their division at the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals in Ames, Iowa last weekend. The students competed against 53 teams in “Teach Yer Creature” Division One.  Of the teams competing from South Carolina, Crestview’s team was the only state team to earn a medal.

Crestview’s team worked throughout the year to create a humorous performance including a mechanical creature. They chose the theme of “How the Armadillo became the Texas State Critter.” In their presentation, armadillos were introduced to Texas to solve a fire ant infestation that had set fire to Texan’s tempers. The armadillo was able to tame the Wild West. The team constructed a five foot tall Texan armadillo that was controlled by multiple devices. The robot creature performed several tasks including eating fire ants, twirling a lasso, tipping his hat, turning his head and spitting water. The team engineered five different technological mechanisms to move and control the armadillo.

Team members include Taylor Carroll, Joshua Carson, Evan Kramer, Charles Ludlow, Christopher Ludlow, Ben Teal and coaches, Sandi Carson and Mary Ludlow.  Crestview has sent teams to World Finals for the last four years. This same team won third place at World Finals last year in Maryland.

While in Iowa, Crestview’s team was paired with a team from China. The children spent a fun-filled evening together exchanging gifts and learning about each other’s cultures. They also supported each other as they performed. Despite the language barrier, the children taught each other games, songs and dances from their country. The head of the Chinese delegation of Odyssey of the Mind also attended the party.

Odyssey of the Mind is founded on the idea of innovative thinking and recognizes exceptional creativity through this competition. Odyssey has teams throughout the United States and in more than 15 other countries including China, Japan, Poland and Germany. Teams must develop solutions to problems without adult assistance. Students incorporate their knowledge and interest into their solutions such as math, art, history, science and robotics or anything else a child can imagine.

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