ORANGE PARK – When students walk through the doors at Montclair Elementary School, they have more to look forward to than just regular schoolwork. 

It’s where curiosity meets endless possibilities. 

Gifted/Extended Studies teacher Margaret Mercer said students are immersed into a world of meaningful fun at the only school in Clay County to participate in the Odyssey of the Mind (OM) educational program.

As a creative problem-solving competition, OM prides itself in getting young minds to think outside the box — valuing science, technology, arts, math and engineering concepts. 

“It was actually invented by a college professor who saw in his intro to philosophy class that his students were unable to solve basic problems,” Mercer said. “So, he would come up with these weird, intense situations and then give [students] points for their creativity, their teamwork and their ingenuity.” 

Each year, Mercer said the program releases a set of five complex, long-term problems for teams all over the world to choose from and solve. Each problem resides under a specific category that students must incorporate into their solution.

Whether it’s building and racing an all-terrain vehicle, creating a robotic animal, interpreting a classic piece of literature, testing out the weight of a structure or giving one's all in a theatrical performance, there’s a range of innovative scenarios from which to pick. 

Mercer said that her young scholars meet throughout the year to choose their problem and practice their solution, all in preparation for competition.

Mercer said she structures her classes to include spontaneous activities and hands-on challenges. From skill workshops, to building sets, using power tools and hand sewing, she said students use their imagination to craft their own resolutions to such complex situations. 

Other than monitoring their progress, Mercer said there is no involvement from coaches. As a team, the students write their scripts, build their props and make their costumes all on their own.

“As the adult, it’s kind of hard to sit back and watch them do it,” Mercer said. “So, I’m only there to make sure that they don’t cut their fingers off, or they don’t get really angry at each other when they’re brainstorming.” 

Mercer said the program initially made waves at the school back in 2003, when then teacher Mary Pat Callahan was one of the first to introduce the experience to Florida. What is now called the “Manatee Region” stretches beyond Clay, reaching Duval, Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Columbia, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Suwanee and Union counties. 

As a former member of the club, Mercer said she remembers being enthralled by the experience. However, she said the school ultimately halted the program.

That was until Mercer became an educator herself. With her family being regional directors, Mercer said that once she rediscovered the program as an adult, she saw it with a fresh set of eyes. 

“When I went off to college and I helped down there in Tampa and then I came back up here, I was like, ‘Well, we’ve got to bring it back to Clay.’”

So, she did. 

Mercer began the restarted program at Montclair in 2019, and she said it’s been a success. What was once catered to those in her class has now sparked popularity from various grades within the school. 

“At the beginning of the year, we send out a paper and then everybody can come, and we explain what Odyssey is,” she said. 

This year, Mercer said they had six overall teams head to regionals. Two of them were primary, or noncompetitive, while the other four were divided into their respective divisions. The school placed first, second, fourth and fifth. She said for the first time, two of the teams also moved on to the state competition in Orlando. 

From constructing a time machine to explore the wonders of the world and using the classic Peter Pan and Winnie-the-Pooh literature to cook a delicious meal to building and weighing a balsa wood structure, Mercer said each team used their imaginations to best solve their problem in front of the judges.

Additionally, during a spontaneous round, teams are put into a room, without their coaches, where judges give the team a task or problem to solve off the top of their heads.

Mercer said it was amazing to see the students in action, in the spirit of innovation and teamwork.

“I love seeing how creative they can be,” she said. "Because a lot of times, especially at school, they don’t get that opportunity.” 

Mercer said the all-ages inclusiveness of the program, spanning to high school and college, shows them that ingenuity is endless.

Although she said the Manatee Region is still one of the smallest, she hopes it continues to grow. She wants other schools in the county to incorporate the OM program. 

“I’ve been really talking to the other gifted teachers in the county and thinking that this is a program that I think every school really should have.”