Royal Palm's Odyssey of the Mind team goes to World Finals!

The 2008-2009 school year was the first time Royal Palm participated in Odyssey of the Mind (OM), an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students.  Two teams from the school competed at the Space Coast Regional Competition in February, with the 4th/5th grade team winning their category.  This team advanced to the Florida OM competition in April where they won a silver medal, making them the only Division I team from Brevard County to qualify for the World Finals held May 27th-31st at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.  This is an incredible achievement for a first-year team!

Odyssey of the Mind fosters creativity, team work and confidence to tackle any challenge.  Alexus Fisher, Amy Dawson, Joseph Nelms, Sam Bardy, Brittany Lawson, MaDison Glatz, and Riley Bramel designed and made costumes, props, and a robot (Murphy the owl) on their own with a $140 budget.  In Iowa they competed against teams from across the United States and approximately 25 other countries. 

The team performed well in Iowa, and learned much from their experience there.  Meeting students from around the world and pin-trading was a memorable part of the event.  They have ideas for improvements and are already looking forward to next year's Odyssey of the Mind!

 

  Science and Art Fair Award Winners

Congratulations to the following students who were recognized at the Brevard County Science and Art Fair:

Riley Bramel (Gr. 4) - 5th place, Physical Science
Sam Bardy (Gr. 5) - 2nd place, Physical Science
Jacob Davis (Gr. 5) - 5th place, Environmental Science
Charlie Mortensen (Gr. 6) - 4th place, Environmental Science

Karisma Waters (Gr. 2) - Merit Award for her self-portrait

 

National Elementary Honor Society Inductees

Royal Palm has established a chapter of the National Elementary Honor Society, and its first members were inducted on May 14th.  Congratulations to Ashley Beard, John Beiser, Riley Bramel, Ryan Ciarcia, Christina Davis, Amy Dawson, Jordan Gattuso, Brittany Lawson, Jared Mowry, Joseph Nelms, and Alex Pyne.
 
 

Kiss the Pig Contest

The Kiss the Pig contest sponsored by our World Finals-bound OM team was the talk of the school in early May.  Students and school families voted with their change to determine which teacher or staff member would kiss Wanda Jean (a very fancy pot bellied pig) in front of the entire school. 

Though Mr. Glatz had a strong lead for most of the event, Mrs. Vernon and Miss Debbie rallied at the end and tied for the most money raised.  They were great sports, and (not to be outdone by Wanda Jean) hammed; or rather, glammed it up on May 13th for the occasion.  

1st Annual Royal Palm Spelling Bee

Congratulations to the finalists for Royal Palm's first school-wide Spelling Bee: Liz Monestime, Kayle Gattuso, Zoe Beard, Luis Gonzalez, Sammy Densler, Justin Brooks, John Beiser, Jordan Gattuso, Aisia Pedersen, Brittany Lawson, Joshua Fontana, Christina Davis, Amy Dawson, Nicole Desimone, Ashley Beard, LeAnn Michel, Selena Selgado, and Elissa Gilbert.  In the final round held at the May 21st PTO meeting John Beiser earned the title of Royal Palm's Top Speller.