[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 96 (Wednesday, June 26, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1184-E1185]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         WINNING ODYSSEY GROUP

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                         HON. RONALD D. COLEMAN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 26, 1996

  Mr. COLEMAN. Mr. Speaker. I rise to pay tribute to a group of 
students from El Paso. They recently won first place at the Odyssey of 
the Mind World Finals in Ames, IA. Six girls from Glen Cove Elementary 
School, Lori Wurdeman, Michelle Ojeda, Danielle Borgaily, Tiffany 
Tajiri, Stephany Nebhan, Haley Cowan, and their coach, David Dominguez, 
deserve our recognition and congratulations for their extraordinary 
accomplishment.
  At a time when it is easy to criticize our education system, those 
who represent the positive aspects of our public schools stand out. I 
hope the Odyssey of the Mind Team from Glen Cove Elementary School will 
continue to better their school and community. An article from the El 
Paso Herald-Post about the team follows.

             [From the El Paso Herald-Post, June 11, 1996]

               Winning Odyssey Group Gets Star Treatment

                             By Sonny Lopez

       The frayed nerves and rushes of adrenaline are little more 
     than distant memories for members of the Glen Cover 
     Elementary School Odyssey of the Mind team.
       After beating out teams from throughout the world, the six 
     El Paso girls are reaping the rewards, giving televised 
     interviews and making plans for next year's competition.
       ``When we first got there, we were pumped and just ready to 
     go,'' said 11-year-old Tiffany Tajiri, who co-wrote the 
     team's idea from a book about the Little Mermaid.
       ``But then we just got nervous because there was nobody 
     there, but us on stage. It was like the world disappeared and 
     it was just us.''
       Lori Wurdeman, 10, agreed, saying, ``Nothing else mattered. 
     We just ran out there when they announced we'd won. It was 
     great!''
       The Glen Cove team not only bested teams from countries 
     including China, Venezuela, Hungary, Russia, Iceland and the 
     Philippines, but was given the Ramatea Fusca Award for 
     excellence in the spontaneous section of the contest.
       The team was the only group from El Paso and West Texas at 
     the world finals which were held in Ames, Iowa, in last 
     month. The girls' received a gold medal for winning the 
     finals and another for their top-notch work in the 
     spontaneous session.
       The Odyssey of the Mind contest, which was created by a 
     university professor, is designed to enhance creativity.
       Groups of students are given a set of rules and guidelines 
     and then are asked to develop a long-term project, mainly a 
     play, and subject themselves to a spontaneous session of 
     questioning.
       When performed, the completed play must be eight minutes 
     long, must have cost $90 or less to develop, must have been 
     designed entirely by the team members and must have comedic 
     value.
       The spontaneous session can involve anything from a word 
     association game to descriptions of an object.
       For the Glen Cove team, the winning combination included 
     Tajiri; Wurdeman; Haley Cowan, 11; Danielle Borgaily, 10; 
     Stephanie Nebban, 11; and Michelle Ojeda, 10.
       They entertained audiences throughout El Paso and the 
     region with a play about Queen

[[Page E1185]]

     Nag, the queen of know-it-all, and an adventure in a far-away 
     kingdom that included Greek gods, a life-size, pop-up-book-
     style castle and a witch.
       On Wednesday, the girls will be honored by Ysleta 
     Independent School District officials during a school-board 
     meeting.
       While there, they plan to display the 28 pins each of the 
     girls traded and bartered with the more than 13,000 other 
     contestants at the competition. Plans also are being made by 
     City Council members to honor the team members with 
     certificates.
       ``I want to continue with OM (Odyssey of the Mind) and 
     encourage others to participate,'' said Nebban, who in the 
     play was the green-faced witch who was pursued by Queen Nag.
       ``It's a really great thing to be a part of and can be 
     started by anyone at any school.''

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