Parent thanks school board for Odyssey of the Mind decision

I would like to commend the Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District Board of Education members for their recent decision to reverse their own policy and finally al-low any and all eligible Odyssey of the Mind teams to attend and represent Manalapan-English-town schools at the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals Compe-tition, provided that the Odyssey of the Mind Booster Club has raised enough money to cover the fees.

Odyssey of the Mind is an international program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students. Kids apply their creativity on teams of seven to solve problems that range from building mechanical devices to presenting their own interpretation of literary classics. Solutions are presented at regional, state and world competitions although there is never one right answer. Teams are rewarded for how they apply their knowledge, skills and talents.

Children that participate in Odyssey of the Mind learn cooperation, respect for the ideas of others and gain self-confidence and self-esteem through the process.

Thousands of teams from throughout the United States and over 20 other countries participate in the program.

At the New Jersey state finals competition each April, the top scoring two teams in each problem are invited to attend the world competition held in May on a university campus

For many years the Manal-apan-Englishtown board has only allowed a first-place team to attend, even though parents were willing to fund-raise to cover the costs. We have been the only district in New Jersey with such a policy.

As the parent a child who came in second place three years ago and was told "you can't go" and the same child and her team were lucky enough to come in first place last year and attend worlds in Iowa, I am personally thrilled with the board's reversal of this policy. The Manal-apan-Englishtown Odyssey of the Mind Booster Club now has an incentive to raise money so as many children as invited can attend the world finals in May.

Shari H. Beirne

Manalapan