Accompany students on a creative odyssey

DINGMANS FERRY, PA — Seventy-four teams from 28 different schools across northeast Pennsylvania will show off their abilities in Odyssey of the Mind, an international problem-solving competition in which creativity, mental stamina and teamwork are key, on Saturday, March 1. The competition will take place at the Dingman-Delaware Elementary and Middle Schools on Route 739 starting at 9:00 a.m. It will be the first step towards representing Northeast Pennsylvania at the Odyssey of the Mind 2008 World finals.

The students have spent months devising solutions to one of the six problems created by Odyssey of the Mind last fall. Not only do they have to solve the problem, but they also have to be the most creative, take risks in their solutions and work as a team. They will also incorporate their own skills and interests into the solutions: singing, playing instruments, skating, or gymnastics—anything that they want as long as it aids in solving one of the six long-term problems below.

Problem 1: Vehicle—Odyssey Road Rally: Teams design and build a vehicle that drives in a road rally and competes in sporting events at each checkpoint.

Problem 2: Technical—DinoStories: Teams must present a humorous story of what caused dinosaurs to become extinct using a team-created replica of a dinosaur in a technical simulation of the team’s “theory.”

Problem 3: Classics—The Wonderful Muses: Teams must create a performance that includes one of the nine Greek muses, who inspires both a historical figure and a team-created character through original art.

Problem 4: Structure—Tee Structure: Teams must build a structure of balsa wood and glue, which the team will test by having it support weights that balance on golf balls.

Problem 5: Theatrical—The Eccentrics!: Teams must present a humorous performance with three eccentric, misfit characters that solve a team-created “problem” within or involving an earth system.

Problem 6: Primary—Rude Awakenings: Teams in this non-competitive K-two problem must present a humorous performance in which a character keeps waking up in a different time and/or place from where it fell asleep.

Not only do teams have to excel in their long-term problem, but they must also perform well in a spontaneous problem, in which they solve a top-secret, never-before-seen problem on the spot.

The top two teams in each division and problem will advance to state finals in Altoona on Saturday, April 12.