• Feb. 19, 2019

    Teams excel at Odyssey of the Mind event

    Odyssey of the Mind team Three Upper St. Clair Odyssey of the Mind teams earned first place finishes and one placed second in the Western Pennsylvania Odyssey's Spontaneous Fun Day tournament on Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019 at Penn Hills Middle School.

    First Place

    • Boyce Middle School, Division 1: Kurt Baran, Collin Rosenberg, Geneva Eisinger, Lily Simons, Lauren Ginsburg, Ellie Simons (not pictured: Addie Young); Coaches: Nate Eisinger, Simon Rosenberg, Artie Baran
    • Fort Couch Middle School, Division 2: Josilyn Seftchick, Reese Copenhaver, Cameron Coller, Rosemary Ramirez, Jack Lowden (not pictured: Alex Sun, Cameron Weber); Coaches: Rachel Lowden, Katie Talarico
    • Upper St. Clair High School, Division 3: Maggie Lowden, Isabella Putorti, Christina Conte, Jacob Conte, Gracie Lowden, Anoushka Sinha; Coaches: Rachel Lowden, Beatrice Conte

    Second Place

    • Eisenhower Elementary School, Division 1: Michael Earley, Makenzie Smith, Ahana Mendhi, Kiran Khurana, Audrey Chakos, Thomas Garces, Edward Copenhaver; Coaches: Amy Garces, Richard Earley

    In total, eight Upper St. Clair teams participated in the event. Each team was given four problems to solve “on the spot” and then judged for its teamwork and creativity. The nature of a spontaneous problem varies, but it can be categorized into three common types: verbal, verbal hands-on or hands-on.

    “Problems are only revealed to the team when they enter the competition room. This challenges students to think on their feet and make decisions under pressure,” Laura Murtough, USC Odyssey of the Mind coordinator, said. “Fun Day is a great opportunity for teams to experience competition before the Regional Tournament on March 2.”

    In 2018, two Upper St. Clair teams – one from Boyce Middle School and one from Upper St. Clair High School – qualified to compete in the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals, which were held in May at Iowa State University. Both teams finished in the top 10 of their divisions.