Local Homeschoolers Win Odyssey of the Mind Competition

by Judy Silberstein

(March 27, 2008) On Saturday, March 15 2008, a team of home-educated middle school students from Larchmont, Mamaroneck and Tuckahoe won first place for their division at a regional Odyssey of the Mind (ODOM) competition sponsored by NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The competition, held in Bellmore, Long Island at Rosemary Kennedy School, included teams from Long Island, New York City and Westchester County. Known as the “Westchester Homeschoolers”, the local team included Lucy Albert (13), Mary Albert (11), Benjamin Cattau (13), Serena Anne Cattau (11), Eric Scanga (14), Tom Unkenholz (13) and Zachary Unkenholz (11).

The Westchester Homeschoolers team pose with a mascot and their trophies at the Odyssey of the Mind competition on March 15.

All but Serena, who attends Murray Avenue School, are taught in their own homes, and five of the seven have been home-schooled for almost all of their entire education. The children and families know each other from participating in activities together, such as library book groups and field trips.

Asked why the family has chosen home-schooling for their children, Rev. Tom Unkenholz, the pastor of the Harrison Presbyterian Church, said it was not because of any complaint with the local schools.

“These are some of the best schools in the country, not just in the state,” he said. “For our family, personally, we feel we can spend more time with our kids. We can infuse our values and our faith. And, we can also cater more specifically and more directly to the learning styles of our four children.”

“You can go at the speed of the child – whether slower or faster,” he said. For example, one middle school child is using a college-level text. Another child may be spending extra time to grasp topics that a conventional classroom would cover more quickly.

Meeting "the needs of our specific children" and "giving them the opportunity to grow in their unique way" were among the reasons Marie Catau gave for her family's decision to home school. "It's about being together as a family and sharing our values," she added.

The local home-schooled students meet other children and adult of all ages through various community activities, including organized sports and the Odyssey of the Mind program, a problem-solving competition begun in 1978 by Dr. C. Samuel Micklus to encourage “out of the box thinking,” team work, and creativity.

The recent competition required solving a problem entitled The Eccentrics. Working without outside assistance, each team had to write and perform a skit that involved three eccentric characters who save the world from a disaster in the cryosphere. A panel of ODOM judges rated teams based on creativity, style, costumes, effectiveness and a range of other factors. The Westchester Homeschoolers were rated highest of the eleven teams in their division.

"It's hard, but it's very, very rewarding, especially when you win," said Ben Cattau of the competition. "It was hard to get everyone together and agree on one thing."

Serena Cattau said, "I liked performing the skit."

The group’s performance earns them the right to progress to a state competition at the University of New York at Binghamton on March 29. This week, the children were meeting at the Cattau home to prepare for the next challenge.

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