Odyssey of the Mind teams great at states

Three Odyssey of the Mind teams from Warwick Valley Middle School and High School qualified for this year’s World Finals during the New York State competition in Syracuse last weekend.

A team from Park Avenue Elementary, two from the Middle School, and one from the High School all gave outstanding performances, continuing a strong tradition of student engagement and success in the Odyssey of the Mind program.

The WVMS team competing in Div. II of the “Because iCan” problem won first place. The problem challenged teams to create a device that could perform a set of tasks, in series, without outside help. Performances also had to include an inventor character and a costume that changes its appearance. Team members included Miles Allen, Addison Emm, Addison Hurd, Emily Laule, Allesandra Lundgren, Ulysses Michelson, Stella Serafin, and Coach Christina Darcy.

A team of students from both Park Avenue and Sanfordville Elementary Schools represented Park Avenue and also competed in the “Because iCan” problem. The team, which featured Ettamoya Byrne, Max Lijoi, Brynn Hasbrouck, Mila Chan, Dylan Chan, Ronan Sezack, Gavin Kleinman and Coach Kerin Lijoi, placed fourth in a particularly crowded and competitive Div. I.

The WVMS team of Eamonn Byrne, Madison Candia, Angelica Costanza, Lilah Diaz, Blake Harrison, Emily Powers, John Powers and Coach Heidi Powers won second place in Div. II of the problem “Pirates & the Treasure.” In the problem, the students were tasked with sailing their ship to reclaim stolen treasure and return it to the Queen. The team also had to include an original sea monster character, a pirate captain, unique flag, and a song.

In Div. III of the problem “Classics... The Walls of Troy,” the team from WVHS finished in third place. In it, the team reimagine the Iliad. The team of Sophia Amato, Cavan Byrne, Nina Cirillo, Isabella Costanza, Lucas Cresser, Rachel Powers, Arianna Weinberg and Coach Casey Mears created their own Trojan Horse, sculpted a most unusual statue, and performed as an original Greek Chorus.

Teams who placed in the top three in their division at the NYS tournament move on to the World Finals, which will be held May 24 - 27 in East Lansing, Michigan on the campus of Michigan State.