Knox County was once again in the World’s spotlight as two Knox Odyssey of the Mind teams advanced to center stage in the annual competition held at Michigan State University.
Girdler Elementary’s Problem 3 team secured their spot to perform for the World with a first place win during the level state competition. Team members Braxton Chadwell, Gavin Chadwell, Bobbie Ann Dunn, Drew Hale, Emily Mills and Abigail Ward wowed judges by opening up ‘Pandora’s Box’. In this problem, the Girdler team put a video game spin on the story of Pandora’s Box. A gamer character will take on this multi-level game inspired by the Greek myth. The game included a prologue that depicts the original story of Pandora’s Box, three characters representing different evils that escaped the box, and a power meter that represents the gamer character’s health. To beat the game, the player will advance to the final level where it will release hope into the world. They are coached by Kelley Mills and Rita Wood.
Joining the Girdler team in the spotlight at World Finals was the Problem 2 team from Knox Central High School. Rachel Brown, Amber Gambrel, Tara Garrison, Madison Hatfield, Adams Mills, Mary Riley and
Matthew Williams won third place in the state competition and qualified for a bid to advance.
Coached by Dutch Endy, the team was challenged to design, build, and demonstrate various devices that complete specific tasks – all while being powered by rubber bands. The problem was entitled “Experiencing Technical Difficulties”, which revolved around the theme where technical failures must be resolved through completing the tasks. The team received a list of tasks to choose from including ring a bell, change the wording on something, sound an alarm, move an object, etc. To add a twist to the problem, there was also a mysterious engineering character added in.
