Clayton’s Team Smarties preparing to return to Odyssey World Finals

CLAYTON, CA (Apr. 13, 2022) — Team Smarties representing Mt. Diablo Elementary is headed to the Odyssey of the Mind’s World Finals in May after racking up a trio of wins in February and March.

“We are incredibly proud of this dynamic group of girls who took first place at the Northern California Odyssey of the Mind competition,” said Renee Culp, the team’s advisor.

The squad is readying for the competition at Iowa State May 25-28. It will be the first in-person contest since the pandemic shutdown.

Familiar faces lead the seven-member squad, named for the Candyland theme of their script, backdrops and props. Charlotte King, Avica Bennett, Hannah Laverick, Kiera Caldwell and Emma Forrester are joined by newcomers Carly Grover and Bailey McNeel-Caird.

Last year’s team qualified for Worlds after finishing in the top three at both the regional and state levels in their division and went on to achieve 32nd place out of 73 teams from around the globe.

Problem solving skills

Odyssey of the Mind is an international program that teaches students problem solving skills.

The journey for this year’s World Finals started in October 2021. Culp chronicled how the girls worked hard to complete their solution to the long-term problem as the months progressed.

The first competition occurred at Concord High School in February. The team then prevailed against 11 others to take first place in the regional tournament. Next, they continued the winning streak in the NorCal tournament in March.

It will cost about $2,000 per person to send the team and chaperones to the World Finals. A GoFundMe account is helping raise money at gofund.me/b697019c.

“These kids worked through COVID restrictions, tears, sweat and long hours to earn their place to compete at the highest level,” Culp noted. “Let’s send these girls to the World Finals and empower them to excel and represent Northern California.”