Students advance to state

Shimotsu Elementary's Odyssey of the Mind ‘Team Ten" advanced from the Rio Grande City Regional contest as a State Finalist to compete against teams from Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and other notable charter schools. The State competition took place at Springwoods High School in Houston. After a competitive weekend of rehearsing, performing , and competing in spontaneous, Shimotsu Elementary earned a First Place Honor as the 2008 ‘Eccentrics' Texas State Champions. The team captured the hearts and enthusiasm of the judges and audience with their flawless performance. This is the team's first ever competition in Odyssey of the Mind and they clearly exhibited great sportsmanship and character. The team will now represent Texas as the 2008 World Finalist in College Park, Maryland. The entire team will be traveling to compete in the three day event at The University of Maryland, six miles from Washington D.C. The Valley spirit and support has inspired this team to face the toughest of all competitions. World Finals will bring together children from many different countries in a spirit of friendship and friendly competition. Participating teams include the following countries: Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Moldova, Philippines, Russia, Slovak Republic, Switzerland, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, United Kingdom, Africa, Australia, British Columbia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hong Kong, Argentina, Belarus, China, El Salvador, Greece, Hungary, Japan, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Singapore, South Korea and Turkey. The exciting trip of a lifetime will be a memorable and challenging event. Representing Texas as State Champions and the country as on of the World Finalists is a great honor and they are the only elementary team from the Valley advancing. The entire student body and staff have been very supportive. Principal A. Limon and Assistant Principal E. Munoz have been very proud of these phenomenal creative students who have accomplished so much. The team's coach and sponsor is Frank De La Rosa, who is also new to Odyssey of the Mind. The team consist of three four graders, Erika Pena, Kendall Cogburn, and Andrea Espinosa. The fifth grade leaders are Lexy Salinas, Gabby Garcia, and team captain Elisa Maria Trujillo. Mr. De La Rosa is very proud of all his team's accomplishments and salute's their musical, artistic, and dramatic talents which made them 2008 Texas State Champions and World Finalists.