Odyssey of the Mind 2012 World Finals • Iowa State University
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Class of 2012 Celebrates
at Odyssey of the Mind
Graduation Ceremony
A graduate with a decorated mortarboard listens to Dr. Sam during Friday night’s
graduation ceremony.
The class of 2012 washed off their face paint
and donned more sophisticated costumes for
their Odyssey of the Mind graduation ceremony—but that doesn’t mean they stopped
having fun.
“I think one of the most important things
Odyssey taught me is to always find the fun
in things,” said Charles Lai, valedictorian
from Memorial High School in Texas. He said
debate and some of his other teachers had
taught him that competing was just about
winning, but that changed for him when he
joined Odyssey three years ago. “Life isn’t just
about being, quote, successful.”
Last night, 91 graduates took part in the
ceremony—one of the highest counts ever.
The graduates ranged from elementary school
to MBA. Each graduate brought something
special to the ceremony: some decorated their
caps, some had tails taped to the back of their
gowns, and some, including Dr. Sam, had pins
covering their outfit.
Dr. Sam stressed that while graduation is
important, all of the participants still have
many big accomplishments ahead of them. He
said he hoped participating in Odyssey of the
Mind would help them in life.
Spirit Award winner Ron Raab-Long
echoed the theme of continued education in
his speech.
“Creativity is a function of the brain—like
a muscle. And like any other muscle, it needs
to be exercised on a regular basis,” he said. His
speech centered on passion, commitment and
integrity, but he said his 8-year-old granddaughter reminded him that creativity was the
most important of all.
“What a good education does is teach you
how to learn,” he said. “Commit yourself to
life-long learning.” He encouraged the crowd
to take risks without being afraid of looking
foolish.
OMER took photos with graduates at the
ceremony.
Joy Stephenson, a University of Delaware
graduate, said all the most important things
she learned in college she had already learned
through Odyssey of the Mind, and tearfully
thanked Dr. Sam for being an inspiration for
all.
“All of us are here today because of one
person,” she said. “Thanks to his vision,
Odyssey was born on a college campus and it
has spread across the world.”
She also gave a moving thanks to RaabLong, who is also from Delaware. By the end of
her speech, the crowd was on its feet.
“It only takes one person to change the
world,” she said to her fellow Odyssey graduates. “What are you, you crazy group, going to
do?”
Page 2 | Odyssey of the Mind 2012 World Finals | Iowa State University
Saturday, May 26, 2012
OMER
Dining News
Saturday, May 26
Breakfast................................6:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Lunch...........................................11 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Dinner....................................4:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 27
Breakfast.............................................6 a.m. – 9 a.m.
Lunch**..............................11:15 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
(Seasons only)
Dinner**.............................................5 p.m. – 6 p.m.
(Seasons only)
Monday, May 28
Box Breakfast**........................5 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
(Seasons only)
** Only for those with a post-conference
package.
Box Meals
Box meals are available through
Saturday, May 26, for all participants
with meal plans who have competition
conflicts during the noon meal.
n Available on a first-come, first-served
basis from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m.
n Box meals can be picked up at the
entrances to the following dining
centers: Conversations Dining in
Oak-Elm Hall, Seasons Marketplace in
the Maple-Willow-Larch Commons,
Union Drive Marketplace in the
Union Drive Community Center and
the Memorial Union Food Court.
n Participants are limited to one box
meal per day. A group representative
with a wrist band must pick up their
meals.
n Meals will consist of a sandwich,
chips, whole fruit, dessert, water and
condiments.
n Box meals should be eaten within
four hours following pickup to meet
food safety guidelines.
Students cross the field in front of the Iowa State University Campanile Thursday afternoon.
Team Photos
Premier Portraits will be taking team
photos. Visit its booth at the Creativity
Festival in Lied Recreation Center or at
Hilton Coliseum.
Don’t miss your chance to have your
2012 World Finals team photo taken!
Photo times:
Lied Recreation Center��������9 a.m. – noon
Hilton Coliseum�������������������9:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.
(or 30 minutes after Awards Ceremony)
Souvenir Sales
Saturday, May 26
Lied Recreation Center������������9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Memorial Union���������������������������9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
OMER was the grand marshal of
Thursday’s float and banner parade.
A team from Fremont, Calif., got to play with sound and light waves with NASA’s classroom activities. The fun continues today from 9 a.m. to noon.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Odyssey of the Mind 2012 World Finals | Iowa State University | Page 3
What’s coming up
Got Your
Ticket to
Ride?
Please stop by the Ames/ISU information desk at the Iowa State University
Memorial Union from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
today (Saturday), to pick up your return
airport shuttle ticket.
Please note that officials’ shuttle information will be available at their hotel.
All return shuttles will depart from the
west side of the Memorial Union. CyRide
will begin running at 3 a.m. on Sunday
to pick up groups from their residence
halls to take them to the Union. Teams
staying in hotels as part of a World
Finals housing plan will be picked up at
their hotel 15 minutes after the scheduled departure time from the Memorial
Union.
World Finals Awards
Ceremony - Tickets Required
Team participants, coaches and anyone
with a World Finals housing package
received reserved tickets for the
Awards Ceremony in their registration
packets. All others who wish to attend
the ceremony can pick up tickets today
(Saturday) between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
at the Odyssey of the Mind information
booth located in the Memorial Union.
At 6 p.m., the remaining tickets will be
available in Hilton Coliseum at the west
entrance on the lower level.
The tickets are free, but each person
will only be issued one ticket. The
tickets must be picked up before the
ceremony, which begins at 7:30 p.m.
in Hilton Coliseum. Doors will open at
6:30 p.m. so everyone can be seated
before the ceremony begins.
Steve Graham, senior outreach specialist for NASA, gives an E-Theatre presentation to
a jam-packed auditorium in Howe Hall. The presentations show how NASA explores the
earth with high-definition images.
Let’s Party! Enjoy hospitality
with an Iowa flair!
PRE-TEEN PARTY
The pre-teen party will take place after
the Awards Ceremony, from approximately 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. It will be
held at the Lied Recreation Center and
includes carnival games, inflatables
and open recreation.
TEEN PARTY
The teen party will also take place
following the Awards Ceremony. It
will feature a video dance and carnival
games from approximately 9:30 p.m. to
12:30 a.m. in the Iowa State University
Memorial Union. There will also be
bowling and games in the Memorial
Union Underground.
COACHES/OFFICIALS
RECOVERY PARTY
The coaches’ and World Finals officials’
party will be held following the Awards
Ceremony, from approximately 9:30
p.m. to 1 a.m. in the Iowa State Center
courtyard adjacent to Hilton Coliseum.
For more detailed information, please
stop by the Ames/ISU information desk
in the Memorial Union.
Coaches
Competition
Winners
Above, contestants play the telephone game while waiting their turn in the
Spontaneous room.
Right, a team from St. Mary’s school in Korea built a car that could be remote-controlled by a cell phone as part of their solution to the weird science problem.
1st place: St. John Neumann Academy,
Pennsylvania
2nd place: Shanghai Jin Hui Exp
School, China
3rd place: Sycamore Fellows, California
Page 4 | Odyssey of the Mind 2012 World Finals | Iowa State University
Important Phone Numbers
The local area code for Ames is (515).
ISU Police/Public Safety: 294-4428
ISU/Ames Information Center:
294-8205
Odyssey of the Mind Information:
294-8206
Prop Storage Information: 294-3740
ISU’s HELPVAN: 294-4444 or 4-4444
Campus Information Center:
294-4357 (294-HELP)
Mary Greeley Medical Center
(non-emergency situations): 239-2011
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Team from Sarasota collects
pins for a fellow participant
OMER’s News asks:
Does your team have any
special traditions?
“Silly string wars!” said a team from
Tucson, Ariz.
Starting every morning with an
energy drink and a candy bar, and doing
their secret handshake, said a team from
Barbourville, Ky.
How did you raise funds to get
here?
The team from Tucson sold foam
boxes that can be put together in different
ways--they sold 2,000 per day for three
Saturdays at 50 cents each.
The team from Barbourville waitressed at restaurants like Pizza Hut and
Applebee’s, wrote letters to businesses
and even did a skit for a bank to get a
donation.
A team from Reston, Va. had bake
sales at school and outside of Wal-Mart
every weekend.
saturday’s SCHEDULE
8 a.m. - 4 p.m.: World Finals Competition, various locations
9 a.m. - noon: Creativity Festival,
Lied Recreation Center
9 a.m. - noon: NASA Classroom
Activities, Memorial Union
10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.: NASA
E-Theatre Presentations, Liu Auditorium, Howe Hall
11 a.m. - 3 p.m.: International
Festival, Lied Recreation Center
*7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.: Awards
Ceremony, Hilton Coliseum
9:30 p.m. - 12:30 a.m.: Pre-teen
Party, Lied Recreation Center
9:30 p.m. - 12:30 a.m.: Teen Party,
Memorial Union
9:30 p.m. - 1 a.m.: Coaches/
Officials Recovery Party, Iowa State
Center
*Tunnel line-up at 6:45 p.m.
SUNDAY’S SCHEDULE
6 a.m. - noon: Housing Check-out
OMER’S World News Staff
Odyssey of the Mind Editor
Jennifer Veale
Ames Convention & Visitors Bureau
Lindsey Schwarck
Shawne Ungs
Ames Tribune
Andy Rohrback.
Sarah Binder.
Dawn Olsen
Printing and Distribution
Daily Freeman Journal,
Webster City, Iowa
Question of the day:
Members of a division 3 team from Sarasota,
Fla., were camped out in front of the Memorial Union with dozens of other pin traders on
Friday--but they weren’t looking to add to their
own collections.
Instead, they were collecting pins for Robert,
from Naples, Fla., who suffered a seizure on
Thursday and couldn’t participate in World
Finals. His team is trying to come up with a way
to do its performance one member short.
This was Robert’s first year at Odyssey of the
Mind, and he was excited to participate and trade
pins. So, when the team from Sarasota Christian
School heard his story, even though he was on a
competing team, they knew what they had to do.
In true Odyssey of the Mind spirit, they decorated a box with streamers and the words “Please
help Robert” and started collecting.
Residence Hall, Frederiksen Court Check-Out Info
We hope you are enjoying the Iowa State
University residence halls and apartments. To
make your check-out process easier, please note
the following:
n Leave all used and unused bed linens, towels,
and washcloths in the room.
n Return any moved room furnishings to their
original locations in their original rooms.
n Remove any personal items left in the room.
Check behind the doors, in the closets,
under and behind the beds and in the
drawers.
n Close and latch all windows.
n Turn off the lights.
n Close and lock your rooms.
n Return your keys to your coach.
What is the one pin you would most like
to acquire during World Finals this year?
Coaches should collect all team keys and
place them in the large manila envelope they
received at check-in. Once they have all the keys,
the envelope should be turned in at the appropriate Conference Desk.
n Maple and Willow (2nd level of Maple-Willow-Larch Commons)
n Birch, Welch, Roberts, Barton, Lyon, Freeman,
Oak, Elm and Linden (1204 Roberts Hall enter via north door)
n Friley, Helser, Eaton and Martin (2104 Martin)
n Wilson (C1265 Wallace-Wilson Commons)
n Frederiksen Court (1001-2 in the Frederiksen
Court Community Center)
Thanks for being our guests. Have a safe
journey home!
Answer the question and see other
responses at the World Finals Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/
2012OdysseyoftheMindWorldFinals
What does Odyssey spirit mean
to you?
Being positive--being supportive
of others, meeting new friends and
giving compliments, said the team from
Tucson.
Everyone is happy and there are no
labels--nobody looks at you funny if
you’re wearing a crazy hat or face paint,
said the team from Barbourville.
Working together and having fun,
said a team from Firestone, Colo.
How do you prepare for a big
performance?
“Glitter never hurts,” said one team
member from Reston. After they practice
with props and full costumes they tell
themselves they are gorgeous.
A team from Yardley, Pa. always does
vocal warm-ups--they talk in tongue
twisters, funny accents and freak out
with one loud scream.
What is your favorite memory
from World Finals 2012?
Getting a shirt from China, the float
parade, and meeting Dr. Sam, said the
team from Yardley.
Seeing new people and working on
the long term problem, said the team
from Firestone.
Hanging out with everybody and
meeting people from all over, said the
team from Reston.
Show us your newly acquired pin
collection by posting a photo of it on
the 2012 Odyssey of the Mind World
Finals Facebook page.