MISSION:

SCHOOL COORDINATOR

WHY BE A SCHOOL COORDINATOR?

You believe every child should learn to work as part of a team to foster success in today’s world.

You know that any worthwhile program needs an organizer.

You are willing to work an average of an hour or two each week to help Odyssey succeed in your area.

STEPS TO GETTING STARTED (Just Suggestions):

2. Discuss who might finance the $135 membership fee and whether any funds might be available to pay meet fees or coaches’ training fees.

4. Invite interested parents, students and teachers to an Awareness Meeting to tell them about Odyssey and how to form teams. (Board members can help you with this meeting if you wish.) The information about this meeting can be sent by flyer, PTA newsletter and/or announcements over the PA system.

5. Recruit coaches by explaining a team cannot be formed without a coach. (Some schools have had much success by requiring each team parents have some responsibility, either as coach, assistant, spontaneous coach, etc.)

6. Have students sign up and juggle their interests, ages, and available coaches to form teams. (Ideally, all interested students should have the opportunity to participate.)

8. Provide initial support to coaches by giving information, copies of the rules and of the problems. Information about training will come from the local region; rules and problems are sent in a packet from New Jersey when you join.

What else can I do?

PROCEDURES SPECIFIC TO INDIVIDUAL SCHOOLS

• How to recognize team members after the competition

HOW TO DEAL WITH MEET REGISTRATION!

(or, How to Make Sure Your Teams are Legal!)

WHAT DOES Odyssey COST?

Tournament fee, per team $ varies by region; (subject to change annually) generally $20-40

Coaches’ training, per coach $ varies by region

Materials and supplies, per team $120 or less (average per team; may be more or may be less)

{Cost for a 1^st place team that advances: $250-$7,000

(State Finals averages $40 or less per team member; World Finals up to $1,000 per team member)}

WHO PAYS?

In most schools, the principal or the PTA funds the membership fee to the national organization and the PTA may fund the cost of coaches’ training and Meet fees. The individual team members and parents are usually responsible for the remaining costs. Most team members can, therefore, participate for approximately $30-$35 per child, even when you add in the occasional pizza!

HOW ARE LOCAL FUNDS (MEET FEES) SPENT?

Your local fees may pay for (among other things):

• Building use fees and custodial fees at

judges’ & coaches’ trainings, coordinators meetings

• Postage for mailings (newsletters, registrations)
• Printing (coaches’ manuals, newsletters, judges’ handbooks)
• Officials’ T-shirts and meals for officials
• Renting walkie-talkies for the meet; building balsa testers,etc.
• Spontaneous supplies for the tournament

RESOURCES FOR YOUR TEAMS

Your school library, your local library, Border’s Books, Amazon.com, ZANCA (1-800-397-4156) and Creative Competitions, Inc. (1-856-456-7776)

Toys-R-Us, The Gamekeeper, Zainy Brainy, ZANCA (see above)

Home Depot, local hardware stores, MJ Designs, Michael’s, Pearle Art Center, local hobby stores, mail-order suppliers, Zainy Brainy, Jo-Ann Fabrics, Total Crafts, etc.

Ask shop, drama, art, and home economics teachers, or parents who can teach how to act, sew, put on make-up, dance, wire batteries to a motor, etc. Just make sure that the person teaching a skill knows that he or she may NOT teach directly to the problem that the kids are trying to solve. Showing the kids how to operate equipment or several ways to put something together is OK, though. Consider a workshop on a Saturday for all the Odyssey teams at your school.

Some teambuilding activities are given to coaches at training. Difficulty with individual children might be addressed by meeting with the school counselor and the parents.

A Few Questions and Answers

A: Ask students to put their birth dates and grade levels on the sign-up form when you first start organizing teams. That way, you will be certain what at which level they should compete!

A: This may happen, but only IF both schools have memberships and IF both schools’ principals agree. The schools can even be in different Odyssey regions, but ALL INVOLVED SCHOOLS MUST HAVE MEMBERSHIPS.

A: Start at the very first Awareness Meeting. Inform parents that they must each have a role, whether coach, judges, volunteers, spontaneous problem provider, or whatever. Then, start in October to recruit judges. Talk to teachers, co-workers, team parents, or team parents’ relatives (18 or more years old!) Ask someone who has coached before but is not coaching this year. Give coaches some ownership in this problem also: they must provide a judge in order for their team to register for the Meet!

A: If a team has discussed the long term problem AT ALL with 7 people, those 7 are carried on the registration for that team until this year’s Odyssey season is over. They may not be replaced. The team may continue on, however, even with fewer than 5 members, if they wish.

A: As in all volunteer activities, a certain amount of tact is called for. However, it does not teach the ethics that Odyssey of the Mind™ wishes to promote if you allow this to continue. If the coach is not aware, let him or her know and suggest a letter home to ALL the team parents stressing the importance of allowing the team to "own" their own solution. If the coach is aware, and is allowing this to happen, have a meeting of all your coaches and go over the detrimental aspects of Outside Assistance (and not just penalties, though those are important.) If it continues, discuss the situation with your Regional Director.

A: Always inform the parents of the problem first. Enlist their help. You may want to find out if the child really wants to do Odyssey or if his parent pressured him or her to join. If he/she really does want to do Odyssey, find out why he or she is having difficulty getting along. Have a meeting with the coach, parent, and child and set conditions for continuing on the team. If those conditions are not met, inform the parent, perhaps employing the "three strikes, you’re out" philosophy. Odyssey always wants every child to succeed, but one student should never be allowed to submarine the efforts of the rest of the team. Remember the school counselor might also be a valuable resource.

A: Each membership operates as an individual entity in making these decisions, so…it’s up to you and your members. Factors which influence the decision are: number of students who want to participate, amount of funds available, support by parents and the administration, and how many coaches you can recruit. Ideally, all students who wish to participate should be given the opportunity to be on a team. However, you may have too few coaches, students that simply cannot work in a small team environment, or such a wide variety of ages that forming teams is difficult. If you should choose to limit participation, you might: have auditions; have students do mini-projects to demonstrate interest and commitment; or even simply make this a first-come, first-served activity.

A: You may consider mixing grade levels, but be certain you know the birthdates of the students so that you can be sure in which division they must compete. You might mix 4^th and 3^rd graders, for example, and still have a Division I team. But if you add a 6^th grader, you might end up with a Division II team, depending on his or her age on May 1. Caution is advised in mixing students two grades or more apart (e.g. 3^rd with 6^th.) Different ages can get along just fine, but in verbal spontaneous their exposure to information will be very different and in the Long Term problem their skill levels may be very different. It is also difficult to have an elementary child on a middle school team, as the daily environments are so different and some level of communication/shared experiences is lost.

See the 2001-‘02 Program Guide for the Division criteria (mailed in the packet with long term problems).

A: TELL PARENTS AT THE VERY FIRST MEETING THAT THEY MUST ALL PARTICIPATE IN SOME WAY, whether as coach, judge, or volunteer. Suggest that they co-coach or be spontaneous coach. Emphasize that they will have lots of help, training, and support.

A: Your Regional Director can usually answer any questions you may have. Questions about Long Term problem interpretations, however, should be directed to New Jersey by a team via a clarification form or by e-mail. Any questions your Regional Director cannot answer, you may refer to the State Association Director by e-mailing Nova4Kids@aol.com

• Enjoy the students, parents and other coordinators!

Talk to people about their experiences. Help students or parents who are lost or confused. Listen to compliments or complaints and let the Regional or State Board know later how we’re all doing.

• Enjoy your school’s teams!

Watch as many of your school’s teams as possible. We try to schedule them so you can get to their performances … this will depend upon how many teams your schools has.

• Enjoy the other schools’ teams!

If you have time, go cheer for other teams, also.

• Enjoy the awards ceremony!