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).

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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