Odyssey of the Mind World Finals - University of Maryland

May 30 - June 5, 2008: Tucker's Odyssey of the Mind team at Unionville competed at the World Finals in Baltimore, Maryland. There problem was "DinoStories". It was an awesome experience for everyone involved. The team placed 14th out of 46 teams from around the world. They were disappointed but grateful for the opportunity to experience so many things. Pin trading was the hot topic at the OM Finals. Tucker has a towel filled with pins from across the US and several foreign countries. We spent two days in Washington, DC and one day in Baltimore. We took a Duck Tour of DC, toured the Capitol, rode the metro, and even saw the White House in a thunderstorm. The team even went to the Baltimore Orioles vs Boston Red Sox game and had a great time! Tucker had an incredible OM experience this year. He will never forget the friends he made and the fun they had.

Let's Go Racing!

May 17, 2008 - The Guignard family made their annual trip to Lowes Motor Speedway for the Sprint All Star Race. Tucker wore his Jimmy Johnson apparel and was ready for a win. Too bad he was asleep when Jimmy Johnson finally led a lap!!!! The best part of the race is our time together at our "tailgate party". We really look forward to this event every year.

Third Grade Zoo Field Trip

April 24, 2008 - Unionville's entire 3rd grade class headed to the Columbia Riverbanks Zoo for a day of fun. Parents were encouraged to come along for the fun. Mom had never been on a field trip with Tucker - it was fun! The weather was beautiful with temperatures in the 80's. These pictures are of Tucker's class. His teacher is Mrs. Comer.

Spanish Spelling Bee???

April 23, 2008 - Tucker had an exciting day at school. He did a book report on Sydney Rella (yes, that's a boy's version of Cinderella) and was required to dress up for the presentation. Sydney Rella wanted to be on the football team instead of going to the Ball. Tucker's class had a fun time with their fractured fairy tale unit.

The afternoon was the moment Tucker had been waiting for - okay, not really. He doesn't really enjoy "stinking Spanish", but he had won his class Spanish spelling bee so he was off to the school wide competition. Granny was able to go cheer him on. A Spanish spelling bee involves being able to write the word correctly on the board and then being able to spell the word using the Spanish alphabet. Tucker finished in 10th place after writing "octubre" correctly but saying the last "e" incorrectly. We were proud of him! Maybe we need to take a trip to Spain! Tucker has suddenly gained an interest in that "stinking Spanish" class!

Odyssey of the Mind State Champs

The Guignard's travelled to ECU on Friday, April 4 for the North Carolina Odyssey of the Mind Competition. We were so glad that Cousin Betsy was able to join us. Tucker's dinosaur team competed on Saturday. Greenville received over 3 inches of rain on Saturday, so you can imagine our day! The dad's did a great job loading and unloading the props in the rain. Tucker's team were first place in the Dinostories division! We could not believe it. They will represent North Carolina in Baltimore, Maryland in Odyssey of the Minds World competition the first weekend in June. At the very end of the awards ceremony, the OM judges recognize one team out of over 100 NC teams as the most creative and innovative - the team that truly exemplifies the Odyssey of the Mind concept. This team receives a very prestigious award and an invitation to the world finals (because they may or may not have placed). Tucker's Unionville team received the award! This is truly an awesome recognition. OM has been an unbelievable experience for Tucker.

Happy Birthday to Tucker!

Tucker's 8th birthday was April 3, 2008. He celebrated with cupcakes with his class at school and with his OM team. We had a dinosaur party at home to celebrate Tucker, Aunt Pammy, and Granny's birthday all at one time. We can't believe how fast the years have been. It really seems like yesterday that we were carrying him and that black box around!

We've Got a Terrific Kid!

Mrs. Comer, Tucker's third grade teacher, nominated him for Terrific Kid. Parents were invited to have breakfast at the school during the recognition ceremony. This is what Tucker's teacher wrote about him:

"Tucker is such an amazing student. He is so excited and enthusiastic about everything we do. He excels in academics but also in other activities like OM and Speedstacking. He is also very kind to other people."

Tucker was thrilled! Mom and dad were just happy to finally be the proud owners of those bumper stickers!!!