Mind aMazes!
The 2019 Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Mind aMazes was musical! In a new location at Skyview Middle School, 47 teams representing 15 KPBSD schools on the Kenai Peninsula competed in the “Music Mechanisms” problem solving competition, and a spontaneous problem that included making shoes, running, and jumping jacks!
The KPBSD gifted education KPBSD Quest program coordinates an annual engineering and problem solving challenge called Mind A-Mazes. This challenge brings teams of students from around the peninsula to a district meet in October where students share constructed devices with judges and attempt to earn points for a set of predetermined tasks.
“Mind aMazes is an incredible event that highlights the creativity and team building skills of students from around the district,” said Clayton Holland, Director of Student Services. “For many students, this event is one of the highlights of the school year and offers a great opportunity to work together as teams to solve challenging problems. The real life learning and collaboration that takes place for students during and in preparation of Mind A-Mazes is amazing and also highlights the great work of our teachers.”
The Mind aMazes challenge focuses on teamwork, communication, and problem solving—key aspects of the project. Students work on sharing their ideas with others, listening to others, trouble-shooting problems that arise, invest hours to test and modify, striving for consistency, and having fun throughout the process! This year’s challenge was fun for the teams, and the October 12, 2019, event at Skyview Middle School turned into a great delight for everyone who participated and rallied in the stands. A big thank you to all the Quest teachers, parents, volunteers, judges, and students who helped make this year’s “Mind aMazes” happen!
The award winners for this year’s “Mind A-Mazes” include:
Junior Division:
- Judges Choice – Nikiski North Star Elementary “Salty Squids”
- Spontaneous 1st – K-Beach Elementary “Chubby Chickens”
- 3rd place Overall – Seward Middle School “Half & Half”
- 2nd place Overall – Kenai Middle School “VSCO Peppa”
- 1st place Long-Term & Overall – Seward Elementary “Dragonfly Girls”
Intermediate Division:
- Judges Choice – Seward Middle School “Ghostbusters”
- Spontaneous 1st – Nikiski Middle School “Master Procrastinators”
- 3rd place Overall – Nikiski Middle School “Divide and Conquer”
- 2nd place Overall – Nikiski Middle School “Master Procrastinators”
- 1st place Long-Term & Overall – Seward Middle School “The Wood People”
Thank you to Brian Bailey, Mind aMazes organizer, everyone who assisted, and the fantastic teams!
Link: Mind aMazes Blog
Mind aMazes photo album on @KPBSD Facebook
