Odyssey of the Mind and Destination ImagiNation Contests Required Both Creative and Critical Thinking
Most Wilmington College alumni and students are familiar with WC’s 2004 NCAA National Championship in women’s basketball — the banner hangs prominently from the ceiling in the gymnasium. Also, some might recall the Mock Trial Team winning a national title in 2003, but how many are aware the College captured five world titles in OM and DI?
PICTURED: Ron Rembert (LEFT) reminisces about his students' success while viewing the trophies with fellow religion and philosophy faculty member Stephen Potthoff.
That’s right. WC won world championships in 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2001 in Odyssey of the Mind and Destination ImagiNation contests, which required significant measures of creative and critical thinking. While those alumni who participated would fondly remember those titles, evidence thereof has been buried in history since they last brought home the hardware in 2002.
This significant piece of Wilmington College’s success story is coming to light again with a rescued display case in Watson Library featuring the trophies and a brief history of the competitions.
Team coach Dr. Ron Rembert kept the awards in his office all these years and, as he began clearing his space with his impending retirement at the end of fall semester, the trophies obviously needed a new home.
“I’m happy the community now can enjoy and hopefully appreciate what those students accomplished,” said Rembert, professor of religion and philosophy, and a member of the faculty since 1989. He recalled WC’s program started when several students, who participated in Odyssey of the Mind in high school, wished to continue that endeavor in college.
WC competed in Odyssey from 1995 through 1998 and in the similar Destination Imagination for three years beginning in 2000. Even in championship years, Rembert downplayed the competitive elements of the teams’ success and, instead, stressed such values as the collective creativity, cooperation, teamwork and collegiality inherent in both OM and DI.
“Those programs really promoted the combination of creative thinking and critical thinking, which made them very innovative,” he said.
Rembert noted that seeing the trophies in his office all those years often transported him back in time to those multi-state road trips with his students in vehicles filled with the props and minimal sets used in the rehearsed part of their presentations. He was especially excited with how well his teams reacted to the more impromptu elements of the competitions when they had to think on their feet.
“The trophies always reminded me of the students who won them — and their very creative work.”