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 Team competed in the program’s Division III (9th-12th grades) in a problem called “Triathlon Travels”
.
; and
WHEREAS, The Masterman School Team comprises students from a number of Philadelphia public schools including Masterman High School 9th-grade student, Drew Brown; Central High School 11th-grade student, Tillie Donover; Masterman High School 11th-grade student, Louise Iodice; Masterman High School 11th-grade student, Abigail Leighton; Science Leadership Academy 11th-grade student, Sofia Powers; Central High School 9th-grade student, Ariel Weinbaum; and Central High School 11th-grade student Rose Weinbaum. The team is coached by parent Brett Mandel and by parent and Powel Elementary School teacher Chris Powers.
WHEREAS, This problem challenges students to construct and drive an original vehicle in an Odyssey-style triathlon where they try to score in a “curling” task, hit the right targets in a “jousting” task, and navigate a course in two directions in a “track” task; and
WHEREAS, After placing first in the Southeastern Pennsylvania Regional Competition held at Pennsbury High School on March 3, 2018, the team placed first in the Pennsylvania State Finals held at Pocono Mountain East High School on April 7, 2018; and
WHEREAS, At the Pennsylvania State Finals, the team won a coveted Ranatra Fusca Creativity Award for demonstrating exceptional creativity in two ways – first, in the design of their vehicle propulsion system which adopted mechanical principles of a rowing machine by using bicycle chains, sprockets, bungee cords, and one-way ratchet wrenches to propel the vehicle forward and in reverse; and second, by using a magnetic field to repel targets thus knocking them over without affecting adjacent obstacles; 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, Approximately 850 teams will represent their area in the largest creative problem solving program in the world in Ames, Iowa from May 23-26, 2018. This year is the 39th
World Finals and the 10th
time being hosted by
Iowa State University
and the
Ames Convention & Visitors Bureau
; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA
,
Hereby honors, congratulates and recognizes the School Team for being named World Finalists in the Odyssey of the Mind International Competition
.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to the Masterman School Odyssey of the Mind Team as evidence of the sincere sentiments of this legislative body.
End