Haddonfield Elementary Team to Compete for World Title

An Odyssey of the Mind team from Haddonfield’s Central Elementary School is headed to an international competition in Iowa.

Odyssey of the Mind is a creative problem solving competition.

Fifth grade students Jesse Eible Hargro, Danny Cavanna, Sam Timar and Evie Ellis and fourth grade students Jada Eible Hargro and Joe Tichansky form this winning team. 

The team, coached by volunteer Mark Cavanna, took first at the regional competition held at Haddonfield Memorial High School on March 22.

The team advanced to State Finals at Ewing High School on April 12, scoring second overall in its division and earning an invitation to compete at Odyssey of the Mind World Finals, to be held at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa the last week in May. 

At the world finals, Central’s team joins 800 teams from more than 20 countries, including teams from Poland, China and Uzbekistan, as well as teams from all 50 states.

The Central performance features a student-written script full of puns, songs and a rap number, as well as unique costumes made from found objects including grocery circulars, duct tape and Mylar material. 

Sets feature a giant storybook glistening with mosaic bottle caps, a fire hydrant made from Frisbees and toilet plungers, and a moveable set piece.

The team started practice in October. As per Odyssey of the Mind rules, team members wrote their own script, designed their own costumes and built their own sets with no adult input. 

The team practiced up to three times a week to polish its performance.

A fundraiser for Central’s Odyssey of the Mind team will be held Monday, April 28 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at PJ Whelihan’s on Haddon Avenue. 

PJ’s will donate 15% of customers’ bills to Central’s Odyssey of the Mind program.