Honoring, Congratulating and Recognizing Julia R. Masterman School Students for Being Crowned World Finalists in the Odyssey of the Mind International Competition.

WHEREAS, Odyssey of the Mind is an international creativity competition that synthesizes Science, Technology, Engineering and the Arts; and

WHEREAS, Odyssey of the Mind has been encouraging students around the world to "think outside the box" and work together as a team to solve challenging problems since 1978; and

WHEREAS, The Julia R. Masterman School’s Odyssey of the Mind Division 1 Team, consisting of

Emma Chrismer, Havana Covington, Azalea Derrickson, Michael Fenerty, Amelia Hoffman, Sidney Mandel and Lachlan Pepersack

, all in 5th Grade, and coached by Chris Hoffman and Brett Mandel, won 2nd Place overall and 1st Place in Spontaneous Problem Solving at the Pennsylvania State Finals Tournament on April 1, 2017; and

WHEREAS, The Division 1 Team’s winning performance consisted of famous ghosts trying to avoid the Ghostbusters by travelling in a hovercraft taxi, a

battery/magnet shuttle that travelled through a coiled copper wire, and a fan-powered car

; and

WHEREAS, The Julia R. Masterman School’s Odyssey of the Mind Division 2 Team, consisting of

Drew Brown (8th Grade), Willem Cousineau (8th Grade), Abiona Flora (8th Grade), Samuel Njiru (7th Grade), Julia Powers (6th Grade), Rory Macdonald (8th Grade), and Ariel Weinbaum (8th Grade)

, and coached by Chris Powers, a Powel Elementary School teacher, and Brett Mandel, won 2nd Place in addition to the Ranatra Fusca Award for Ultimate Creativity at the Pennsylvania State Finals Tournament on April 1, 2017; and

WHEREAS, The Division 2 Team

competed in the “Catch Us If You Can” problem by creating vehicles that traveled from a multi-level parking garage to a “secret meeting place”, while also performing an action to avoid being followed; and

WHEREAS, The Division 2 Team

won the Ranatra Fusca Award for Ultimate Creativity, the highest award in Odyssey, by creating a performance about the inner working of the human body that included a train-of-thought fan car, a blood-vessel boat that travelled in a blood stream, and a walking neuron; and

WHEREAS, The Julia R. Masterman School, a Philadelphia public school, will for the fourth straight year compete in the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals. Approximately 6,000 students from across the United States and around the world will represent the best of young creative minds and compete at Michigan State University in East Lansing on May 24, 2017 through May 27, 2017; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA

,

Hereby honor, congratulate and recognize the Julia R. Masterman School’s Odyssey of the Mind Team on their success in the state competition, and wish them success in the World Finals competition.

FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to the Julia R. Masterman School’s Odyssey of the Mind Team as evidence of the sincere sentiments of this legislative body.

End