Empowering Optimization Skills Through an Orienteering Competition

We report on a playful introduction of optimization in high school. The final event this experience has been an orienteering competition, which the decision-making component plays central role. This type very involving, and it boosted interest students toward operations research. After summarizing activities class that preceded we describe detail organization aspects outcome. also provide simple AMPL code compares choices made by participants with their optimal trajectory, is, one maximizing score same traveled distance.