April 19, 2022

Two middle school teams advance to World Finals

Teams from Boyce and Fort Couch middle schools recently placed third at the Pennsylvania Odyssey of the Mind State Finals at Lock Haven University – advancing to the World Finals set for May 25-28, 2022, at Iowa State University.

The third-place team from Boyce Middle School solved the technical problem. The team’s task was to create a performance which identified an original threat to the environment that self-replicated until a team-created technical invention removed the threat. The performance included original music and was required to use Arm & Hammer baking soda in the solution.

Boyce team members include Elliot Sams, Jillian Torres, Ashwin Vasudevan, Nigel Bailey, Parker Sams and Daphne Collins, who was unable to attend the State Finals. This team is coached by Sarah Sams and Jake Collins.

The Fort Couch Middle School team, which solved the performance problem, was tasked with creating a performance about a young person who wakes up in a circus world where original animals performed unexpected tricks. The team was scored for the originality of its characters as well as the creativity of its plot, circus acts and chosen tricks.

Members of the third-place team from Fort Couch include Kurt Baran, Artie McCallum, Ayan Amin, Eden Elkoni, Lauren Ginsburg, Geneva Eisinger and Zahra Hossain. They are coached by Nate Eisinger and Artie Baran.

At the State Finals, more than 150 teams from across Pennsylvania competed by division in one of five chosen problems: vehicle, technical, classics, balsa and performance. Upper St. Clair accounted for 10 of those teams, representing divisions one (elementary), two (middle school) and three (high school).

Odyssey of the Mind is an international STEAM program that fosters creative problem-solving skills, teamwork and ownership in students from grades K through 12. One of the trademarks of the program is its “no outside assistance” philosophy. All ideas, scripts, props, solutions and paperwork are generated by the team members with no input from coaches, parents or teachers.

For more information about Odyssey of the Mind in Upper St. Clair or to participate in our summer Ingenuity Camp, visit www.uscootm.com or email uscootm@gmail.com.