Odyssey teams do very well

Three Crossett Brook Middle School teams and two teams from Thatcher Brook Primary School took second-place honors in their categories last weekend at the Vermont State Odyssey of the Mind tournament.

A third Thatcher Brook team tied for third place; the fourth Crossett team tied for fourth place. A team of Thatcher Brook second graders and one kindergartner participated in the youngest non-competitive division.

First- and second-place finishers qualify for Odyssey of the Mind World Finals in late May at Michigan State University. Two of the Crossett Brook teams plan to travel to Michigan.

In all, eight local teams with 54 local students from kindergarten through eighth grade — including one who attends Bishop John A. Marshall School in Morrisville — competed in the creative problem-solving competition, now in its 36th year in Vermont. The tournament was held at Champlain Valley Union High School in Hinesburg.

Sixteen parent-volunteer coaches also took part in this year’s competition.

At the tournament, Harwood Union High School senior Claire Brundage received this year’s OM $500 college scholarship. She participated on Odyssey teams in primary and middle school and in high school has volunteered as a judge and official at the state tournament.

Odyssey of the Mind is an extracurricular creative problem-solving competition for students from kindergarten through college. Its goals are to build teamwork, encourage risk-taking and reward creativity. Teams typically have five to seven student members and two parent coaches. Students choose from five problems and work in their free time on their solution.

At the state tournament, students present their solutions in the form of a short skit of up to eight minutes. They create a story, a set, props and costumes, incorporating a variety of unconventional requirements. After much trial and error, they present their final efforts alongside student teams from across the state.

World Finals teams hail from across the U.S. and at least a dozen other countries. The Odyssey program is funded entirely through fundraising and family contributions. Local teams will run several fundraisers in the coming weeks to support Michigan-bound students.