Lansing High School Seniors Lead Odyssey of the Mind and Destination Imagination Activities with Intermediate and Middle School Students
In April, Lansing High School Gifted Facilitator and Advanced Studies Teacher, Mrs. Julie Hinckley, took two groups of seniors to Lansing Intermediate School and Lansing Middle Schools to help facilitate Odyssey of the Mind and Destination Imagination activities. The groups worked on creative problem-solving activities with the younger students.
Lansing High School seniors Allison Muzzy and Alexis Buchholz both enjoyed getting the opportunity to collaborate and lead the students.
"The experience overall was positive," said Miss Muzzy. "The students seemed to enjoy it. I was impressed with their creativity and diligence. I think the Odyssey of the Mind activities are beneficial, allowing students to think in ways from a different perspective."
Miss Buchholz commented on the younger students' problem-solving skills. "The students were very creative, and I liked seeing how they think outside the box. It was interesting to see how each group solved the problems presented to them."
According to their website, Odyssey of the Mind (OM) "teaches students how to develop and use their natural creativity to become problem-solvers. OM also emphasizes teamwork, budgeting, time management, public speaking, and more. This international program is designed to help students at all learning levels grow as individual learners, grow as team members, and to reach their full potential." The goal of Odyssey of the Mind activities is to build skills and self-confidence that will carry over to all areas of students' lives.
Destination Imagination (DI) also focuses on innovation and teamwork by developing solutions to problems and learning from their failures.