South Middle School's Coach Splichal and Odyssey of the Mind team after a statewide victory.

Out of 856 teams from 26 different countries The Eau Claire South Middle School Odyssey of the Mind Team placed fifth at the 2011 World Finals held at the University of Maryland. Maggie Phillips, Ellie Phillips, Leah Nelson, Amy Schiefelbein, Brad Rutter, and Calvin Henderson and their coach Jason Splichal emerged at the top of the heap after three days in the trenches of creative problem solving and critical thinking.

Founded in 1978 Odyssey of the Mind is designed to foster creativity and promote logical problem solving among students.  Participants are presented with long-term problems ahead of time and spontaneous problems at the final.  Teams are awarded points for creativity, style, and effectiveness of their solution to the problem.

The South Middle School team was the only group from Wisconsin to place in the final and one of two to place in the entire Midwest division. The team was recognized at the Comcast Center, on Monday, May 30, in a ceremony that was both televised and streamed live around the globe.

Congrats!