McKinley Elementary Gets High Marks at State Odyssey of the Mind Competition

Fairfield, CT - Saturday, April 2^nd, 2016 marked the date of the Connecticut State Finals and also the 38^th year since the inception of Odyssey of the Mind. Odyssey’s mission is “to promote creativity by challenging teams to solve divergent problems” with participants worldwide! Teams are open to elementary to college-aged students and are typically coached by parent and teacher volunteers. The competition consists of one long-term problem with various technical and performance components that each team prepares in advance, as well as one spontaneous problem that needs to be solved “on the spot.” This year, Fairfield sent teams from McKinley Elementary, Stratfield Elementary and Tomlinson Middle School through parent-organized volunteers and teams.

Two McKinley teams had the honor of receiving special recognition at the state competition level this past weekend. Lilly Morgan, a McKinley 3^rd grade member of “The Creative 5”, was the recipient of the prestigious OMER Award. This unique award is given “in recognition of individuals or teams who demonstrate outstanding sportsmanship, exemplary behavior, or exceptional talent.” Only ONE award of the kind was given out this year, an honor for Lilly’s team, McKinley Elementary, and the Fairfield community as a whole. As written by her nominator, “From the time Lilly arrived, she selflessly took the initiative to help the other volunteers, welcome teams and became a huge asset to the success of the Odyssey Tournament. She cheerfully and without complaint, despite the early hour, jumped in to help out. Lilly demonstrated the real spirit of Odyssey—to support the team effort and always keep a positive attitude. I commend her outstanding team work and nominate her for an OMER [Award].” Kudos to Lilly and her teammates who tackled the Division I “Stack Attack” problem, Violet Diaz, Ella Jaeger, Annie Gombos and Lisa Elbrish under the direction of first-time coach Margaret Diaz!!

Another of McKinley’s teams, self-titled “S’up”, was the only Fairfield team to place in the top three medaled spots in their competition with a 3^rd place finish!  Their Division IA team chose the “Fins, Furs, Feathers & Friends” performance problem and was made up of Mariella Graceffa, Natalia Graceffa, Kayla Huynh, Lindsay Fahey, Andrew Fuller, Meghan Socol, and Olive Campbell under the direction of three-year veteran coach, Suzanne Graceffa. In true Odyssey style, the kids on the team created their props, backdrop, costumes and script all without parent assistance, including a hand-sewn quilt and igloo made of reclaimed milk jugs! The McKinley community is grateful to Angi Pechman (Primary and Division I Coach) who brought Odyssey to McKinley in 2012 with the assistance of experienced coach and Board of Education member, Jennifer Maxon-Kennelly. Congratulations to all of our Fairfield teams and their supportive coaches and parents, without whom we wouldn’t be able to participate in amazing programs such as these. The McKinley community looks forward to seeing many of you at our upcoming McKinley Carnival at Jennings Beach from April 22-24^th!

PHOTO (From R to L: Margaret Diaz, Violet Diaz, Annie Gombos, Lilly Morgan, Ella Jaeger, Lisa Elbrish)

Photo Credit: Will Diaz