Odyssey of the Mind teams advance to state finals
Three Newport News Public School (NNPS) teams earned top honors in the 2023 Tidewater Regional Odyssey of the Mind Tournament held in March and are advancing to compete in the Virginia Odyssey of the Mind State Finals.
Teams representing McIntosh Elementary School, Knollwood Meadows Elementary School and Booker T. Washington Middle School earned first place in their problem and division.
The McIntosh team captured first place with the problem, Classics, The Walls of Troy. The B.T. Washington team also captured first place in its division with the problem, Classics, The Walls of Troy. Both teams had to put their spin on the popular concept of the “Trojan Horse” by creating one of their own. It had to be used to get beyond a wall in a performance that also included a character from The Iliad, an original Greek Chorus and an unusual statue.
The team from Knollwood Meadows Elementary School earned first place in its problem, The Most Dramatic Problem Ever. The team had to create a humorous performance about a dramatic character that overreacts to common events. The performance had to showcase different theatrical styles as the character overreacts.
The teams of students have worked since September to practice spontaneous problems and solve their specific long-term problem.
NNPS teachers earn Gold Star recognition
Seven NNPS Career and Technical Education teachers have been named W!SE Gold Star Teachers for their students’ successful performance on the W!SE Financial Literacy Certification Test: Hope London from Denbigh High School; Stephanie Gwaltney from Menchville High School; Sheree Ficklin, Kimberly Grant and Reginald Neely from Warwick High School; and Towanda Alister and Tina Shorter from Woodside High School.
To earn the Gold Star Award, a teacher must have at least a 93 percent passing rate on the W!SE Financial Literacy Certification Test in at least one class during the school year.
Working In Support of Education, or W!SE, is an educational organization dedicated to building financial literacy, fostering business and social entrepreneurship and preparing students for college and the global workplace.
The organization’s literacy certification program provides high school students with financial education and the opportunity to become certified financially literate by successfully passing the W!SE Financial Literacy Certification test.
