Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, May 16, 1995 TAG: 9505160082
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: MELISSA DeVAUGHN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
Marilyn Monroe, John F. Kennedy, Elvis Presley, John Wayne and Harriet Tubman are on a mission, and they need your help.
These famous people will be portrayed in a bizarre play created by some ingenious Kipps Elementary School children, as they compete in the Odyssey of the Mind World Competition in Knoxville, Tenn., later this month.
The catch - they need to raise $4,500 by May 23 to get there.
The six-member team, ranging from third- to fifth-graders, has worked on its Odyssey of the Mind production since November, brainstorming ideas for a competition that fosters creativity, ingenuity and teamwork.
After winning at the regional and state levels, the children now advance to the world competition, which will have more than 700 teams from the United States, Canada, China, Germany, Russia, Australia and other countries.
"I hate to think of the number of hours they've put into this," said Kay Luttrell, whose 11-year-old son, Greg, plays the plum role of Marilyn Monroe in the play. "I'm sure 40 hours a week between them is not an exaggeration."
The play is a combination of theater and science, said Aline Brinckman, parent of Matthew, who plays John Wayne. "It's really an obstacle course with tasks, and they have to do it with artistic and creative flair."
Here's what the play, called Scientific Safari, is all about:
The play has two criteria - there must be a vehicle that demonstrates two methods of transportation and the players must use the vehicle to perform several imaginary tasks.
The vehicle is a silver and gold "star galaxy," part bicycle, part golf cart. The safari's theme is heaven and the children are dressed up as famous dead people with wings attached to their backs.
Harriet Tubman performs the first task of the obstacle course - save some animals by sneaking them away from poachers. She successfully performs that task by use of an underground tunnel, like the one Tubman operated to free the slaves during the Civil War.
Next, John Wayne, who is the driver of the vehicle, helps rescue the animals by catching imaginary poachers who look like cowboys.
Elvis Presley rescues a make-believe injured hound dog, all the while singing "You ain't nothing but a hound dog, cryin' all the time ..."
John F. Kennedy discovers a new animal species and calls it a "missile-pig." According to its creators, the pig has been mutated by the devil to resemble a missile and remind Kennedy of his biggest flop - the aborted invasion of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs.
Marilyn Monroe's job is to tag the animals to protect them from the evil poachers. In Monroe style, she puts diamonds on each animal.
The play ends with two songs, sung to the tunes of The Beach Boys "Surfing Safari" and Michael Jackson's "Beat it" (Incidentally, Michael Jackson is Elvis' son-in-law in the play).
"I was kind of nervous at state, but no one really messed up," said 9-year-old Leana Hearn, who plays Tubman. "I'm sure I'll be even more nervous" at the world competition.
Fourth-grader Tessa Merna, serving as the team manager, said she is confident the Kipps safari will do well because "Our theme's pretty good and none of the teams have had anything like ours so far."
If this year's Odyssey of the Mind Competition has proved anything, it's that there are no limits to a child's imagination.
"It's the whole process of brainstorming," Luttrell said. "They had all sorts of ideas and just went with the one that they liked the best."
by CNB