May 4, 2021

Four OM teams advance to World Finals 

Four Upper St. Clair teams earned top spots at the Pennsylvania Odyssey of the Mind State Tournament on April 21, 2021, and will be advancing to the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals in May and June. Teams include:

• Upper St. Clair High School (Division 3, performance problem; first place): Seniors Sammie Seewald, Constantine Tripodes, Eric Wang, Victoria Cuba, Brianna Lin, Max Murtough and Joseph Markovitz. The team is coached by Laura Murtough, Stacey Seewald and Meridith Markovitz. 
• Boyce Middle School (Division 1, performance problem; second place): Cameron Smith, Kiran Khurana, Ella Hancock, Bella Uffelman, Blake Uffelman and Audrey Chakos. The team is coached by Pete Chakos.
• Eisenhower Elementary (Division 1, balsa program; first place): Aadit Patel, Ayla Anderson, Lula Griffin, Kyri Link, Miriam Wynne, Caleb Cochran and Isabelle Azinon. The team is coached by Katie Dawson and Elizabeth Agnew Cochran.
• Eisenhower Elementary (Division 1, performance problem; first place-tied): Izzy Dastur, Finley Garvey, Leah Fawley, Lindsey Fitzgerald, Keira Mycoff and Austin Szpara. The team is coached by Colleen Mycoff.

Due to Covid restrictions, all teams submitted their video solutions for the tournament virtually. Videos included an eight-minute performance, followed by up to seven minutes of explanation where team members could elaborate on their problem solutions for the judges. Teams also provided supporting photos, paperwork and a budget breakdown as part of their submissions.

Because of the unique and unpredictable nature of this year, teams were able to choose a track: in-person or virtual. While all teams competed at the regional and state-level virtually, they could choose how they would compete at the World Finals in the event that they advanced. The Upper St. Clair High School and Boyce Middle School teams advanced to the In-Person World Finals to be held June 11-12 in Orlando, Fla., and the two Eisenhower teams advanced to the Virtual World Finals, which take place online in May.

In total, 11 Upper St. Clair teams competed in the Pennsylvania Odyssey of the Mind State Finals virtual event that included schools from across the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The competition is divided into five problems – vehicle, technical, classics, structure and performance – with three divisions in each – elementary, middle and high school.

According to its website, “Odyssey of the Mind is an international creative problem-solving program for K-12 and college students. Students learn the value of brainstorming and teamwork, as they grow their self-confidence and appreciation for the ideas and strengths of others while in an encouraging team-focused atmosphere.”

For more information, visit the Upper St. Clair Odyssey of the Mind website - www.uscootm.com.