Students from seven HISD schools will be competing at the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals this week. But for students from Walnut Bend Elementary School, the thrill of advancing past the state level is particularly sweet, as 2019 marks the school’s seventh appearance in eight years.  

A team of seven students won first place in their division at the Odyssey of the Mind Regional tournament with a perfect score. The team then went on to win the Texas Sate Finals in the Structure Toss Category. 

Odyssey of the Mind allows students to engineer and create to solve a problem, all under their own direction and leadership. Michele Dahlquist, Walnut Bend ES principal and Odyssey coach, has been coaching Odyssey teams for more than 30 years and is proud of how far her team has come. 

“This special group of students has overcome many challenges to get to this point,” Dahlquist said. “Their abilities to bounce back and persevere have made all the difference.” 

The team now heads to East Lansing, Mich. for the finals, where they will present their solutions to the long-term problems they have been working on, along with seven other HISD teams. The 2019 Odyssey of the Mind World Finals tournament will be May 22-25. 

Other state first-place winners include: West University Elementary School in Hide In Plain Sight Division I, T.H. Rogers School in Hide in Plain Sight Division II, Carnegie Vanguard High School in Hide In Plain Sight Division III, and Mark Twain Elementary School in Opposites Distract Division. Second Place winners include: T.H. Rogers School and Helms Elementary School (tie) in Classics Leonardo’s Workshop Division I and River Oaks Elementary in Structure Toss Division I.  

Here is how all HISD schools ranked in the state finals, along with their scores: 

OMER to the Rescue Division I 

5. River Oaks – 247.13 

OMER to the Rescue Division II 

8. Briarmeadow Charter School – 215.93 

9. Paul Revere Middle School – 204.28 

Hide In Plain Sight Division I 

1. West University Elementary School – 338.86 

4. Oak Forest Elementary School – 284.78 

5. Poe Elementary School – 268.98 

7. River Oaks Elementary School – 254.05 

11. River Oaks Elementary School – 217.27 

Hide In Plain Sight Division II 

1. T.H. Rogers School – 350 

7. Hogg Middle School – 197.19 

Hide In Plain Sight Division III 

1. Carnegie Vanguard High School – 336.27 

Classics…Leonardo’s Workshop Division I 

2. T.H. Rogers School – 326.06 

2. Helms Elementary School – 326.00 

8. River Oaks Elementary School – 310.80 

Classics…Leonardo’s Workshop Division II 

7. Hogg Middle School – 274.66 

10. Paul Revere Middle School – 233.37 

Structure Toss Division I 

1. Walnut Bend Elementary School – 328.36 

2. River Oaks Elementary School – 276.27 

9. River Oaks Elementary School – 169.02 

10. Helms Elementary School – 163.85 

Structure Toss Division II 

3. Hogg Middle School – 270.64 

7. Paul Revere Middle School – 150.68 

8. Paul Revere Middle School – 149.80 

Opposites Distract Division I 

1. Mark Twain Elementary School – 349.47 

4. Travis Elementary School – 290.00 

5. T.H. Rogers School – 274.97 

7. Condit Elementary School – 262.00 

10. Arabic Immersion Magnet School – 234.00 

Opposites Distract Division II 

3. Hogg Middle School – 289.12 

For more information on the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals, visit www.odysseyofthemind.com.