This year, Dominion High School has two Odyssey of the Mind teams with 6-7 members each. Odyssey of the Mind is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college. The Odyssey of the Mind teams represent and compete for Dominion High School yet the school does not provide any funding to this club or any other clubs.

The Odyssey of the Mind competition requires team members to apply their creativity to solve problems that range from building mechanical devices to presenting their own interpretation of literary classics. The teams need a school membership in order to participate in the competition. The cost of the school membership is $135; the teams are expected to pay and the cost is split evenly between the two teams.

The teams will also have to pay to participate in the competitions and for the supplies needed. The Regional competition costs $60 per team, the State level competition costs $65 and there are also travel costs since it is in Roanoke, the World level competition takes place at Iowa State University and costs $600 per team member with additional transportation costs.

Coaches Training and Spontaneous Training cost $30 per coach and the budget for supplies is $135. The total cost for the entire year for each Odyssey of the Mind team is almost $5000.

“Dominion High School does not provide funding to any clubs or activities. Students must fundraise to raise money for their club,” Mr. West said, the activities director at Dominion.

Also, Mrs. Kelly, the parent coordinator for Odyssey of the Mind, said, “The ATLAS organization offers an opportunity for clubs and activities to earn money by working at sporting events in the Ticket and Concession stands.”

However, fundraising $5000 is very difficult and although students could raise money to help cover some of the costs, they would end up paying for the rest.

The Odyssey of the Mind website says that, “The Odyssey of the Mind teaches students how to think divergently by providing open-ended problems that appeal to a wide range of interests. Students learn how to identify challenges and to think creatively to solve those problems.

They are free to express their ideas and suggestions without fear of criticism. The creative problem-solving process rewards thinking outside of the box.”

Sarah Raphael, student leader of an Odyssey of the Mind team, said, “I used to participate in Odyssey of the Mind in elementary and middle school. I decided to start another Odyssey team at Dominion because I wanted to continue competing. Odyssey of the Mind is a great opportunity for students to learn teamwork, critical thinking, and creative problem solving.” Yet, the Dominion High School Odyssey of the Mind teams have to focus their time and energy on raising money and trying to keep the costs low.

Latin Dance, Muslim Students Association, Odyssey of the Mind, and many other clubs and activities represent and compete for Dominion but the school provides no funding at all to them. Dominion Athletics, on the other hand, pays for buses, fields, stadium lights, and much more for all sports teams.