Three teams of students from Curtner Elementary School (located at 275 Redwood Ave. in Milpitas) qualified to compete in Odyssey of the Mind’s World Finals.
Odyssey of the Mind has been in the education space for the past four decades. It’s a unique program that presents open-ended challenges, nurturing creativity and problem-solving in children.
At Curtner, the Parent Teachers Association (PTA) has been leading Odyssey of the Mind for the past two years.
During the ‘23-’24 school year, there were 50 students at Curtner, across all grade levels, who wanted to be a part of the program. The students were divided into groups based on their grade levels; and over the last several months, they’ve been working together to practice and solve problems presented by the organization.
Various Curtner parents have been serving as guides and coaches for these students along the way.
The three Curtner teams won both the regional and state competitions, which allowed them to qualify for the World Finals.
“This year, the students are going to Iowa State University for the World Competition,” said Saritha Parsoya, who is part of the Curtner PTA. She currently serves as a Program Coordinator, along with another parent, Anjana Venkat.
Parsoya’s daughter is in the fifth grade and is on one of the teams that qualified for Odyssey of the Mind’s World Finals.
This is the second year Parsoya has been working to organize the group. In fact, it was Parsoya who initially learned of Odyssey of the Mind, from a parent at another school. After researching it, she thought it would be amazing to bring it to Curtner.
“This was something that caught my attention. Other competitions aren’t based on creativity and harmony and teamwork, but this one is,” said Parsoya.
Last year, one of the teams from Curtner ended up qualifying for the World Finals, which was held at Michigan State University.
This year, there are two teams from grades 3 to 5, along with one team from grade 6, that qualified.
Toward the end of May, 20 Curtner students will fly out to Iowa to compete. They’ll be joined by a multitude of other students from countries all over the world.
The Milpitas Community Education Foundation is helping the children to fundraise for expenses related to their trip.
“I want to say thanks to Curtner Elementary and the Curtner PTA for letting us be involved in this competition,” said Parsoya. “Milpitas is a great place where kids feel safe and can work on themselves. I thank everyone in the community.”
