Catskill High School took home first place in Problem 5, Division III and will advance to the NYS Finals.

On Saturday, February 28, 2026, Questar III BOCES co-hosted the New York State Region 4 and Region 7 Odyssey of the Mind Tournament at Coxsackie-Athens Central School District with Capital Region BOCES.

“Questar III BOCES was proud to partner with Capital Region BOCES to host this year’s Odyssey of the Mind Tournament,” said Questar III BOCES District Superintendent Dr. Gladys Cruz. “This event celebrates the creativity, teamwork, and problem solving skills of our students. We were honored to welcome teams from across the region and to support an experience that inspires innovation, confidence, and a lifelong love of learning.”

From Region 4, a total of 36 teams from 24 schools, representing nine school districts, one independent school, and one BOCES from Rensselaer, Columbia, and Greene Counties, participated in the annual tournament, competing for a coveted invitation to the State Finals in Syracuse this March.

The 2026 problems included:

• Primary (not scored): “Clowning Around with Science”
• Problem 1: Vehicle, “Off the Rails”
• Problem 2: Technical, “Lost in OMERland”
• Problem 3: Classics, “Classics… The Epic Quest”
• Problem 4: Structure, “Life’s a Ball!”
• Problem 5: Performance, “Taller Tales of John Jivery”

Questar III BOCES is proud to announce that 20 Region 4 teams will advance to the New York State Tournament on March 21, 2026!

Hoosic Valley High School earned a second place finish in Problem 5, Division III and will advance to the NYS Finals.

Teams advancing to the NYS Finals:

Problem 1: Off the Rails

• School #16 (Troy CSD) – Division I, first place
• Coxsackie-Athens Middle School – Division II, first place

Problem 2: Lost in OMERland

• Donald R. Sutherland Elementary (East Greenbush CSD) – Division I, first place
• Greenville Middle School – Division II, first place
• Hoosic Valley Elementary School – Division II, second place

Problem 3: Classics… The Epic Quest

• Citizen Genet Elementary School (East Greenbush CSD) – Division I, first place
• Mary’s Institute – Division I, second place
• Hunter-Tannersville Middle-High School – Division II, first place
• Hoosic Valley Elementary School – Division II, second place
• Hoosic Valley High School – Division III, first place
• Questar III and HVCC STEM High School – Division III, second place

Problem 4: Life’s a Ball!

• Howard L Goff Middle School (East Greenbush CSD) – Division II, first place
• Troy High School – Division III, first place

Problem 5: Taller Tales of John Jivery

• Hoosic Valley Elementary School – Division I, first place
• Donald P. Sutherland Elementary School – Division I, second place
• Knickerbacker Middle School (Lansingburgh CSD) – Division II, first place
• Catskill High School – Division III, first place
• Hoosic Valley High School – Division III, second place
• Questar III and HVCC STEM High School – Division III, third place
• Lansingburgh High School – Division III, fourth place

Questar III and HVCC STEM High School earned third place in Problem 5, Division III and will advance to the NYS Finals.

Each year, teams or individuals can be nominated for an Odyssey of the Mind OMER Award for demonstrating exceptional talent or a dedication to teamwork or sportsmanship. This honor can be awarded to team members, coaches, parents, officials, and others who, by their actions and words, exemplify the spirit of Odyssey of the Mind. Congratulations to Coxsackie Elementary School for winning this year’s award!

Additionally, the Ranatra Fusco Award is presented to an individual or team who demonstrates exceptional creativity in ideas, behavior, or presentation at the tournament. This award is designed to recognize “risk-takers” who are original, creative, and imaginative in their approach to the problem. Congratulations to Catskill High School for winning this year’s award!

Congratulations to all teams who placed in the tournament and good luck to those heading to the state tournament.

Hoosic Valley Central School District at the 2025 Odyssey of the Mind World Finals.

May 21-24, 2025, three Questar III BOCES teams participated in the 2025 Odyssey of the Mind World Finals at Michigan State University. The opportunity to compete came after strong performances in the Regional and Statewide competitions earlier this year. Congratulations to all teams for a job well done, and congratulations to Hoosic Valley Central School District for placing in the top five! Hoosic Valley CSD was acknowledged with teams from around the world during the closing ceremonies.

• Hoosic Valley High School (4th Place) – Problem 3, Division 3
• Questar III and HVCC STEM High School (19th) – Problem 3, Division 3
• Lansingburgh High School (24th Place) – Problem 1, Division 3

Results and awards from the 2025 World Finals can be found here: https://www.nyodyssey.org/results-states.

Questar III and HVCC STEM High School

Lansingburgh High School

Hoosic Valley Jr./Sr. High School took home first place in Problem 3, Division III and will be heading to the World Finals in May.

At last month’s New York State Region 4 Odyssey of the Mind Tournament, Questar III BOCES advanced nineteen teams to the NYS Tournament in Syracuse. On Saturday, April 5, 2025, the best Odyssey of the Mind teams from across the state competed for a coveted spot to the World Finals.

Questar III BOCES is pleased to announce that ten of the nineteen teams placed in the Top Ten of their competition, and three teams will be heading to the World Finals in Michigan, May 21-24, 2025!

Questar III and HVCC STEM High School took home 3rd place and an invitation to the World Finals in Problem 3, Division III. This is the school’s first year competing.

Congratulations to:

• Lansingburgh High School – Problem 1, Division III – 3rd Place
• Hoosic Valley Jr/Sr High School – Problem 3, Division III – 1st Place
• Questar III and HVCC STEM High School – Problem 3, Division III – 3rd Place

Questar III BOCES has seen at least one Region 4 team advance to the World Finals every year since 2007 (except in 2020, when the tournament was canceled). Thank you to all competitors for being part of this annual event and congratulations and good luck to the teams attending the World Finals.

Odyssey of the Mind medals and trophies are awarded to the top 3 finishers in each problem and division.

On Saturday, March 15, 2025, Questar III BOCES hosted the New York State Region 4 Odyssey of the Mind Tournament at Coxsackie-Athens Central School District. A total of 34 teams, consisting of 21 schools and 10 school districts across Rensselaer, Columbia, and Greene Counties participated in the annual tournament, competing for a coveted spot to head to the State Finals in Syracuse in April.

The Hoosic Valley Jr./Sr. High School performance for Problem 3 – Division 3 earned the students a 2nd place finish and invitation to the NYS finals.

The 2025 problems included:

• Primary (not scored), “It’s a Wonderful World!”
• Problem 1: Vehicle, “The OM-Mazing Race”
• Problem 2: Technical, “Mech-Animal Sidekick”
• Problem 3: Classics, “Classics… Cooking with Books”
• Problem 4: Structure, “Save Me Structure”
• Problem 5: Performance, “AstronOMical Odyssey!”

Questar III BOCES is proud to announce that 17 Region 4 teams will advance to the New York State Tournament on April 12, 2025. A full list of scores can be found here.

Questar III and HVCC STEM High School competed in the tournament for the very first time. The performance from Problem 3 – Division 3 earned students at 1st place finish and invite to the NYS finals.

Teams Advancing to the NYS Finals:

• Problem 1: The OM-Mazing Race
  • Hoosic Valley Elementary School – Division I, 1st place
  • Hoosic Valley Jr./Sr. High School – Division II, 1st place
  • Greenville Middle School – Division II, 2nd place
  • Lansingburgh High School – Division III, 1st place
• Problem 2: Mech-Animal Sidekick
  • Donald P. Sutherland Elementary (East Greenbush CSD) – Division I, 1st place
  • Rensselaer Park Elementary School (Lansingburgh CSD) – Division I, 2nd place
• Problem 3: Cooking with Books
  • Berlin Elementary School – Division I, 1st place
  • Troy Middle School – Division II, 1st place
  • Questar III & HVCC STEM High School – Division III, 1st place
  • Hoosic Valley Jr./Sr. High School – Division III, 2nd place
• Problem 4: Save Me Structure
  • Lansingburgh High School – Division III, 1st place
• Problem 5: AstronOMical Odyssey!
  • Donald P. Sutherland Elementary (East Greenbush CSD) – Division I, 1st place
  • School #18 (Troy CSD) – Division I, 2nd place
  • Knickerbocker Middle School (Lansingburgh CSD) – Division II, 1st place
  • Troy Middle School – Division II, 2nd place
  • Catskill High School – Division III, 1st place
  • Questar III & HVCC STEM High School – Division III, 2nd place

Berlin Elementary School students pose with their OMER Award medal.

Each year, teams or individuals can be nominated for an Odyssey of the Mind OMER Award for demonstrating exceptional talent or a dedication to teamwork or sportsmanship. This honor can be awarded to team members, coaches, parents, officials, and others who, by their actions and words, exemplify the spirit of Odyssey of the Mind. Congratulations to this year’s winners:

• Berlin Elementary School
• School 14 (Troy CSD)

Additionally, the Ranatra Fusco Award is presented to an individual or team who demonstrates exceptional creativity in ideas, behavior, or presentation at the tournament. This award is designed to recognize “risk-takers” who are original, creative, and imaginative in their approach to the problem. Congratulations to Hoosic Valley Jr./Sr. High School for winning this year’s award.

Congratulations to all teams who placed in the tournament and good luck to those heading to the state tournament.