Push for Change - Odyssey of the Mind - World Finals!

We are pleased to announce that the Odyssey Angels project submitted by a team of eleven Pinetree Secondary students was chosen from amongst hundreds of submissions world-wide for exhibit at the Odyssey of the Mind 2012 World Finals at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa from May 23 - 27, 2012. The students will also be receiving an award at the opening ceremony attended by thousands of students, parents, coaches and officials from more than 24 countries.

The Odyssey Angels challenge is part of the international Odyssey of the Mind program, which encourages creative thinking in youth. Teams were challenged  to use highly creative problem-solving skills to help some aspect of their community that would otherwise be overlooked.

The project came about after the Pinetree team became aware of a local initiative called THE PUSH FOR CHANGE to raise awareness and support for homeless youth in Canada. Joe Roberts, former homeless street kid turned successful businessman,  plans to push a shopping cart across Canada, to increase public awareness of the homeless youth issue and raise funds to provide preventative education and support.

The Pinetree Odyssey Angels took on the task of designing a specialized shopping cart that would withstand the journey of over 8,000 kilometers across Canada from coast to coast. After talking with Joe, they set out to design a carte that could be maneuvered with ease. The results are a cart that is light weight, durable and ergonomically correct for a man of Joe's height. Its features include shocks, changeable handlebars, hand brakes and lights. The creativity in designing the shopping cart for THE PUSH FOR CHANGE campaign is what has earned the Pinetree team this prestigious award.