Goldsboro Elementary Magnet’s Odyssey of the Mind Team Named World Champions

Sanford, FL: Goldsboro Elementary School’s Odyssey of the Mind team, “The Elementals,”  were crowned as this year’s first-place world champions for “Problem #3, Classic, The Walls of Troy” earning a nearly perfect score of 348.10 out of 350 possible points.

The Odyssey of the Mind teams who compete are given a long-term problem to solve without adult assistance. It requires many months to complete the solution and involves writing, design, construction, and a theatrical performance solving a given problem within an 8-minute time frame and budget of $125. 

The second part of the competition is an unknown spontaneous problem they must creatively solve in front of judges. “What makes this a wonderful experience for the children is that they learn how to use their creativity, practice closely working with others in a diplomatic fashion, and learn how to persevere while becoming more independent,” said Shannon Benninghove, a teacher at Goldsboro Elementary Magnet.

The Elementals began their work in October, stopping and starting all over again due to the impacts of two hurricanes,  as they prepared for regionals in February, where they came in first place. The top 15 teams in Florida then moved on to the state competition in April.

 Goldsboro placed second in the State of Florida, making them eligible for the World competition held at Michigan State University in Lansing, Michigan. This seven-member team worked to edit ideas and prepare for world competition giving up their end-of-year activities and clap-out for fifth-grade teammates to travel to MSU. This sacrifice of time on the part of team members and coaches, along with their family’s support, helped them rise to this outstanding achievement.  

“We are so proud of these amazing students and dedicated teachers!  They represent everything we strive for at Goldsboro Elementary Magnet,” said Dr. Chris Mulholland, Principal at Goldsboro Elementary.