Four DV teams advance to Odyssey Worlds tourney

MILFORD — Four teams from the Delaware Valley schools are among eight from Northeast Pennsylvania to compete on the international stage at the creative problem-solving Odyssey of the Mind World Finals this May.
They were crowned world finalists at the Pennsylvania State Finals tournament on April 1.
Odyssey of the Mind is a worldwide K-12 competition that emphasizes teamwork and thinking outside the box, while giving students an outlet to nurture and showcase their creative engineering, technical, performing arts, and visual arts skills.
“It’s amazing to see what the students come up with every year,” said Ryan Balton, PA Odyssey of the Mind public relations director. “We have some of the brightest and most talented students right here in NEPA. While developing creative problem solving skills that they can take to college, the workplace, and their day-to-day lives, they are consistently among the best competitors in the world.”
The students received their long-term problem in the fall. They worked all year to create an eight-minute performance with a strict budget that solved the problem. The teams then presented their solutions at the NEPA regional tournament in March, where they earned the chance to compete at State Finals.
'Catch us if you can'Four teams from the Delaware Valley School District are World Finals bound. The DV Elementary, Middle, and High School teams swept second place in the technical problem “Odd-a-Bot.” The students had to create a robot that performed human tasks. The final team from the district was the DVHS vehicle team, which placed first in “Catch Us If You Can.” The team created three small vehicles that had to drive through a course to have a secret meeting.
In addition to receiving second place, the DVHS technical team won the Ranatra Fusca Creativity Award for extreme creativity and risk-taking. Only three of these awards were given out among the 173 teams that competed.
Two teams from the Abington Heights School District are also heading to World Finals. One team from AH Middle School won first place in the classics problem, “It’s Time, OMER.” The team had to create a performance about the inspiration for famous pieces of artwork throughout history. The AH High School vehicle team took second place in “Catch Us If You Can.”
Also representing NEPA at World Finals will be Preston Area School’s structure team, which earned second place. The team from the Wayne Highlands School District solved the problem “Ready, Set, Balsa, Build!” and had to create a lightweight structure out of different types of balsa wood and test its strength with weight. Pocono Mountain East High School’s classics team tied for second place, solving the “It’s Time, OMER” problem.
Tough competitionSome 1,200 students from 112 schools and organizations across Pennsylvania competed at State Finals, which was held at the Moon Area School District near Pittsburgh. Eight NEPA teams were honored among the state’s most creative problem solvers at an awards ceremony held at Robert Morris University.
“Nearly 3,500 people were involved with our tournament – students, parents, coaches, judges, and friends,” said Balton, the PR director who participated in Odyssey of the Mind as a student at Delaware Valley 10 years ago. “Our judges and board of directors are entirely 100 percent volunteers, and we are so thankful for their help — especially those folks in the northeast who traveled up to six hours to make our program possible.”
The 38th annual Odyssey of the Mind World Finals will be May 24 to 27 at Michigan State University in East Lansing. Some 6,000 students will be competing from several states in the U.S. and countries such as Canada, China, Germany, India, Poland, Singapore, and South Korea.
Schools interested in forming teams next year can find more information at www.paodyssey.com. Pennsylvania Odyssey of the Mind State Finals will be held at Pocono Mountain East High School next year. Any local businesses interested in sponsoring the tournament should contact Balton at webmaster@nepaootm.com.
On the WebNEPA Odyssey of the Mind — nepaootm.com
NEPA Odyssey on Facebook — facebook.com/nepaootm
PA Odyssey of the Mind — paodyssey.com
PA Odyssey on Facebook — facebook.com/paodyssey
Odyssey of the Mind International — odysseyofthemind.com
Editor's note: This article has been updated to correct the number of teams advancing to the Worlds tournament, which is four, not three as incorrectly stated in the original. The Courier regrets the error.