On March 26, Averill Park CSD sent three teams to the Odyssey of the Mind State Finals competition in Syracuse – one from APHS and two from AMS. The APHS team placed third, giving them the opportunity to advance to the World Finals held at Iowa State University in May.
The APHS Odyssey of the Mind team competed in a long-term problem that involved building an 8-inch structure out of balsa wood and glue, weighing no more than 15 grams. The team then performed a skit with a theme of storage, placing weights on the balsa wood structure until it collapsed. The team’s structure held 570 pounds within the 8 minutes allotted for their presentation.
Odyssey of the Mind is an international creative problem-solving program where 5-7 students compete together on a team. Each team participates in both a long-term problem and a spontaneous problem. For the long-term, the team prepares a solution to a set of issues presented and performs their response as a skit in competition. The team chooses to compete in one of five variations of the long-term problem, including one with elements of design and construction, or a more theatrical program. For the spontaneous problem, the students enter a room and are asked to solve an issue without prior knowledge of the question.
The APHS team members who are headed to Worlds include sophomore Cecelia Colton, and juniors Jacob Crupi, Katie Doran, Tyler Michaels, Isla Multunas, Christian Romer, and Tyler Strock. Please wish our team the best of luck and safe travels as they trek cross country to compete and represent AP in Iowa!
