Nov 13 2020

NovaNorth Odyssey of the Mind Update

Thanks for your patience as we work out how to best implement a new Odyssey of the Mind season in the world of 2020!  We now have more concrete information for you, and we wanted to pass it along.  This year, there will be no regional tournaments in the State of Virginia and everyone, including primary teams, will be eligible and encouraged to participate in a statewide virtual tournament.

First, make sure you’ve gotten your membership to get access to the problem information at https://www.odysseyofthemind.com/join/. Tournament registration will also be through that website similar to previous state tournaments starting in December and closing in mid-January.  We will provide that link when available.

We have not yet established the registration fee for participating in the state tournament, but we expect it to be reasonable and similar to previous tournaments.  Detailed instructions will be provided for submitting virtual submissions on the information sessions.

If you know an experienced judge who is interested in volunteering to help with the virtual tournament, we would be thrilled to take them.  However, unlike previous tournaments, teams will not be required to provide a judge and a tournament helper.

An information session about the virtual format is scheduled for December 9 and problem specific sessions are in the works but not firmly scheduled yet.  We will pass along information as we receive it.

This is new but exciting for us, and we know there will be lots of questions.  We are here to help, and will build resources for coaches and teams as we learn more about how this is going to work and the timeline.  We hope that even if this format does not work for your needs this year that you’ll keep us in mind next school year when hopefully the virus is under control!  We are working to update our website (www.novanorth.org) and email system currently to prepare for the new season, so please check for updates!

Permanent link to this article: https://www.novanorth.org/wp/?p=7973

Oct 08 2020

NovaNorth Odyssey of the Mind 2020-2021 Update and Survey

Since 2020 is so unlike life as usual, our kickoff to the 2020-2021 Odyssey of the Mind Season is a bit delayed, and a bit different.  We have been holding out hoping to have more clarity to bring you, and hoping this would also allow you some time to settle into the new normal of virtual school.

We have some information, and we are getting more as the International and Virginia state organizations work through more details.  If you’re ready to get started on your problems, memberships are available, for both virtual and in-person tournaments.  As a board, we are looking into all options to provide the most valuable creativity experience we can.  This year, it won’t be a single day with 1000 students in one facility.  We’re expecting our region will be led with a virtual tournament, and depending on the situation and local/state rules by tournament time, we may be able to offer small group scheduled in person structure and vehicle testing.

Since most of the interaction with the tournament is rolled into a single performance and one spontaneous round, even a virtual competition with a video submission doesn’t have to mean a ton of additional screen time if the students can work out how to partner in a socially distant setting, or delegate tasks and make efficient use of online time.

We designed a quick survey to gauge interest and comfort, as safety of the students, coaches, and all the volunteers involved in running our tournament is our primary priority.
The link to the Region 9 survey is here: https://forms.gle/k8RmhB3KLXPnUQrBA
The international communications on the new membership offerings (including a virtual membership that no longer requires affiliation with an organized school or group) is here:  https://www.odysseyofthemind.com/join/
A great group of videos explaining Odyssey for newcomers is here: https://www.illinoisodyssey.org/odysseyacademy
We will be reviewing the survey responses and setting up an online interest session to share what we know shortly.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.novanorth.org/wp/?p=7922

May 16 2020

Nova North Teams For Virtual World Finals

Eight NoVA North teams have registered for the Virtual World Finals; they are listed here.

Opening Ceremony is open to all – this Saturday at 7:00 pm EDT.  See https://www.odysseyofthemind.com/ for information.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.novanorth.org/wp/?p=7801

Apr 08 2020

How To Register For Virtual World Finals

Coaches and teams  – everybody is eligible for the Virtual World Finals!

To participate, start here.

The Virginia State Odyssey of the Mind web site has this “Please read!” piece as well.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.novanorth.org/wp/?p=7796

Mar 27 2020

Update For World Finals

At noon today, CCI has announced that 2020 World Finals will be held virtually and that all teams may participate.  Registration and guidelines will be posted next Wednesday 4/1/20, so please check back then at Odyssey of the Mind.

Thanks very much to everyone who has worked so hard to get to this point.  Stay positive and be creative!

Permanent link to this article: https://www.novanorth.org/wp/?p=7770