06.01.09
Charlotte, N.C. – Three Charlotte Latin teams were among 6,500 creative students from around the world who competed at the 2009 Odyssey of the Mind (OM) World Finals May 27-30 at Iowa State University. Two of the teams had third place finishes and one team had an 11th place finish.
Teams at the OM World Finals worked throughout the school year solving an OM problem and were judged as the most creative in a series of rigorous state and national competitions. North Carolina had 550 OM teams this year; three Charlotte Latin teams were among the 35 teams to advance to the World Finals after the regional and state OM competitions.
Teams placing first through sixth place were recognized in front of 18,000 team members, parents, coaches, officials and family members at the competition’s closing ceremony. The teams placing first through third received individual medals and a trophy and were congratulated by OM founder Dr. Sam Micklus.
Two Charlotte Latin Middle School teams placed third in their respective categories. They are:
“Superstition” Team, Division II: Carter Anderson, Zach Carter, Mason LeDonne, George Lucas, Elizabeth Salisbury and Griffin Smith. The team invented a superstition and recreated its origin. They incorporated the superstition into a humorous performance complete with dancing, singing and fun costumes.
“Teach Yer Creature” Team, Division II: Chuma Eruchalu, Hayley Hammond, Chase Hammond, Davis Heniford, Dan McFalls and Mark Taylor. The team built a mechanical “creature” that learned and mimicked human behaviors with humorous results.
The Charlotte Latin fifth grade “Lost Labors of Heracles,” Division I team finished 11th and consists of the following students: James Atwell, Melanie Gamble, Emma Haseley, Parker Julian, Frank Kenny, Wilson Salisbury and Eleanor Smith. The team learned about Greek mythology and created a “lost” labor for Heracles. They also recreated ancient Greek art and costumes.