Team raising funds to compete at World Finals in Michigan May 21-24
Johnstown’s Odyssey of the Mind team, representing JHS, won first place out of 20 other Division 2 teams at the New York state tournament in late April in Syracuse. They will now compete at the World Finals May 21-24 at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan.
The team is coached by Julie Risley and Lori Leonard and is composed of eighth graders Jacob Risley, Hailey Leonard, Noah Sweet, Zane Lee, Stephanie Singer, and sixth grade students Jaidyn Risley and Freya Pertell. GJSD’s Odyssey of the Mind program is supported by longtime coordinator Kristin Meashaw, who is set to retire at the end of this school year after a 31 year career as a teacher at Johnstown.
The team is fundraising to help offset the costs for their upcoming trip to Michigan, including a spaghetti dinner at Pinos on May 13 and the raffling off of a custom made t-shirt blanket featuring Odyssey t-shirts from the last 11 years.
Tickets can be purchased from one of the team members, coaches, or at the main office of any Johnstown school building. Questions can be directed to the Odyssey District Coordinator, Kristin Meashaw (kmeashaw@johnstownschools.org). Checks can be made out to GJSD with Odyssey on the memo line.
Pino’s Spaghetti Dinner – Tuesday, May 13 (4:30-6 p.m.)
- 326 West Clinton Street in Johnstown
- $15 a ticket, presale only through Thursday, May 8
- Take out dinner includes spaghetti, meatball, salad, bread & dessert
T-shirt Blanket Raffle – Drawing on Saturday, May 31
- Each $5 donation will enter you in a drawing for a chance to win a handmade quilt, highlighting t-shirts from the last 11 years of the Johnstown Odyssey program. Show your Johnstown school spirit and love for Odyssey of the Mind!
- Want to help but don’t have a connection to the program… feel free to donate the winning quilt to your favorite Odyssey student or coach!
- The quilt will be on display at Pino’s on the night of the dinner.
What is Odyssey of the Mind?
Odyssey of the Mind is a creative problem solving program that encourages divergent thinking as teams of up to seven members use creativity and teamwork to solve unique problems. Odyssey brings the classroom to life as students apply what they learn, and combine it with their interests and passions. This international program emphasizes teamwork, budgeting, time management and public speaking. Teams also explore STEM and the arts, using a variety of mediums to create their scenery, props, costumes and scripts. The Johnstown School District offers the program to students in grades 2-12.