Eighteen student teams from schools in Rensselaer, Columbia and Greene counties advanced to the state Odyssey of the Mind tournament in Binghamton on April 11. They were selected from 106 teams competing in the Region Four Odyssey of the Mind Tournament coordinated by Questar III at Algonquin Middle School in Averill Park.
Teams from Ichabod Crane, Averill Park, Germantown, Brunswick, Coxsackie-Athens, Troy, East Greenbush, Hoosic Valley, and Rensselaer finished in first place.
Since 1978, Odyssey of the Mind has been an international educational program where students apply their imagination and ingenuity to solve problems that range from building mechanical devices to presenting their own interpretation of literary classics.
The winners by contest and age group (Division I, Grades 3-5; Division II, Grades 6-8, Division III, Grades 9-12) are as follows:
Problem 1: Runaway Train
The team’s problem is to design, build and operate one or more vehicles that will travel on tracks and make stops at different stations without touching the floor. While traveling between stations, the vehicles must overcome obstacles —moving uphill, towing something, and more. The theme of the performance will explain the vehicle’s difficulties on the track and will include a ‘conductor’ character. Once the vehicle reaches its final destination it will display a flag or banner during a victory lap!
- Ichabod Crane Elementary/Middle School- Division I
- Ichabod Crane Elementary/Middle School- Division II
- Averill Park HS- Division III
Problem 2: Experiencing Technical Difficulties
The problem is to design, build, and demonstrate various devices that complete specific tasks. The team will create a theme where technical failures must be resolved through completing the tasks. There will be a list of tasks to choose from including ring a bell, change the wording on something, sound an alarm, move an object, etc. There will also be a mysterious engineer character. Of course, there’s a twist — all of the devices must be powered by rubber bands!
- Miller Hill-Sand Lake Elementary School- Division I
- Algonquin Middle School/Gardner-Dickinson School- Division II*
- Averill Park HS- Division III
Problem 3: Pandora’s Box
In this classics problem, teams will put a video game spin on the story of Pandora’s Box. A gamer character will take on this multi-level game inspired by the Greek myth. The game will include a prologue that depicts the original story of Pandora’s Box, three characters representing different evils that escaped the box, and a power meter that represents the gamer character’s health. To beat the game, the player will advance to the final level where it will release hope into the world.
- Germantown Central School- Division I
- Gardner-Dickinson School- Division II
- Tamarac Secondary School/Catskill HS- Division III*
Problem 4: Lose Your Marbles
This problem requires teams to design, build, and test a structure, made only of balsa wood and glue, which will balance and support as much weight as possible. The structure will also hold five marbles that will be released during weight placement as a result of a team-created device removing a piece of the structure. After the crusher board and one additional weight are placed on top of the structure, the first marble will be released. After the next weight is supported, the team will use its device to release another marble, and so on. The team will incorporate weight placement and “losing your marbles” into the theme of the performance.
- Germantown Central School- Division I
- Troy Middle School- Division II
- Hoosic Valley Jr/Sr High School- Division III
Problem 5: Silent Movie
Lights, camera…action! In this problem teams will create and present a performance depicting a Director character that produces and presents a silent movie featuring a humorous villain character that commits three silly acts of “villainy”. Characters that are in the movie may not speak as part of the presentation of the movie. Instead, like classic silent films, the team will use music played on a team-created instrument and creatively displayed subtitles to convey its story to the audience and judges. Also, teams will use a signal to indicate when the movie begins and ends.
- Red Mill Elementary School/Miller Hill-Sand Lake Elementary School- Division I*
- Coxsackie-Athens Middle School- Division II
- Rensselaer Jr/Sr High School- Division III
Teams winning in Binghamton will move on to the World Competition at Michigan State University May 20-23.
At least one team from Rensselaer, Columbia, or Greene County has advanced to the World Finals every year since 2007, including 13 in the past five years alone, with four advancing in 2013, and three in 2014.
*Divisions with two winners account for three “large region” slots given to Region 4 by New York State Odyssey of the Mind
