Page 14 The Shoreline Julyv2009
IIP
Fifth Grade Team Competes For World Title
By Phyllis Mak
m
CityElementaiyat
Camp Glen went
on to win State
Finals in April and
earned the honor
of representing
North Carolina
at World Finals
that took place
Members of the team with Katie Shurtleff (Julie Anderson's
daughter) second from right.
"The thing that impressed me most
about World Finals—besides being
emotionally overwhelmed with pride—
was the camaraderie among all the
teams. The children were so supportive
of each other," says Julie Anderson,
Pine Knoll Shores' Director of Finance
and Administration. Julie's pride
is justifiable. Her eleven-year-old
daughter, Katie Shurtleff, was one of
six fifth graders who represented North
Carolina at the World Odyssey of the
Mind Competition. Other team members
were Blair Painter, Josh Mason, Robert
Coles, Will Onorato and Alex Knorr.
Their volunteer coaches were Debbie
Painter, Renee Coles and Suzanne
Thompson.
After wirming the Division I North
Carolina Coastal Region competition in
March, this team of six from Morehead
Members of the fifth grade team
competing in Odyssey of the Mind
in Ames, Iowa in world competition.
May. At the world competihon, the
Morehead City team faced 37 other
Division I teams from four countries and
22 states, coming in 5*, just behind Bangi
Elementary School from Seoul, Korea.
Odyssey of the Mind is an international,
extracurricular educational program
that encourages children to apply
their creativity and problem-solving
skills. Each year, the program presents
young people with multiple problems
lakuck
and participants compete in various
divisions based on age. This year's
competitionincluded five problems with
names that inspire creativity; "Earth
Trek," "Teach Yer Creature," "The Lost
Labor of Heracles," "Shock Waves" and
"Superstition." Thousands of teams
from 26 countries participated.
Morehead City's fifth graders worked
on "Shock Waves."
- The challenge was "to
design and build a
structure out of balsa
wood and glue."
The structure had to
"balance and support as
muchweightas possible
while absorbing
shockwaves." The
shockwaves were
to be the result of
adding weights to the
structure with spacers
strategically placed at
intervals so that when
spacers were removed
the top weight would
fall onto the stack of
weights. Teams were
to test the strength of their balsa wood
creations by adding as much weight
as possible in a limited period of time
without breaking the structure. As
part of the challenge, each team had to
//
Water Angels
Continued from page 9
ft
Year's End
Continued from page 9
after the incorporation of the town, the
Women's Club has provided the energy
for the establishment of the sense of
neighborhood we experience here.
Reflecting on the day's theme. Mayor
Lamson asked members to consider the
value of their lives in Pine Knoll Shores
through the works of their club, the
contribution to the commimity, the spirit
of fellowship and the part members
play in giving the club a special flavor,
creating something really sweet. She
then handed over the gavel to President
Linda Strader who graciously thanked
former President Halada for two years
of outstanding leadership. She also
thanked members for their trust in
her taking over such a task. She asked
for continued support in fostering
friendships through club service.
All women living in Pine Knoll Shores
are welcome to attend meetings and
join the club.
rescue, the family and my son tried to find
the surfers to thank them.... They could
not be located."
Mrs. McGuthry wrote Mayor Joan
Lamson with two goals: "The first is to
broadcast my message of gratitude. I can
never manage to express how thankful I
am that the surfers saved my child and his
friend's father. Thesecondgoalistoinform
you and the members of the community
that you have a group of unsung heroes
in your midst. Those water angels are out
there. Itismyhopethatyoucanhelpmeand
the others that they will save in the future
by providing them with a bit of positive
regard. You can let them know that they
are good Samaritans and that they are an
asset to your community."
"incorporate the testing of the structure
into a performance." Cost of the solution
could not be more than $140.
Applying their knowledge of geometry,
specifically an understanding of
"properties and relationships of plane
figures," ourMorehead Elementary team
was able to build a lightweight balsa
wood structure that bore 773 poimds
to win State Finals and then increased
its capacity to 825 pounds for World
Finals.
In a performance inspired by the
name of their challenge —"Shock
Waves" — they humorously portrayed
forces working for and against keeping
our beaches clean and our oceans
healthy—an appropriate theme for
a group of beach kids from Carteret
County. Incorporating "fantastic
costumes, props, and sound effects,"
they won high praise.
These children benefited in far-
reaching ways from their participation
in Odyssey of the Mind. Besides being
a tremendous learning and confidence-
building experience, the competition
provided an enriching opportimity to
interact with young people from around
the world. Carteret County is fortunate
to have such fine young ambassadors.
Within a week of Matthew's rescue,
the PKS Fiire Department was engaged
in another beach rescue. This time the
"water angels" were members of Pine
Knoll Svores'beach and water rescue unit.
Four people were in trouble in the ocean at
HarrunerParkbeach. Firefighter Dawldns
was on the town's fbur-wKeeler whfen he
heard the call. He was first on the scene
and fiirst in the water, followed by Lt. Cox
and Capt. WiUiains. Firefighter; Jones
remained on the beach in communication
with county counterparts and other team
members. Firefighter Mann was at the
Iron Steamer getting ready to latmch the
jet ski, but before it was needed, aD, four
victims and three rescuers were safely
out of the water—another happy ending
thanks to those who risk their Uvra to
rescue others.
Editor's Note: If you know the identity
of the surfers who helped Matthem, call the
McGuthries at 912-756-0251.