Odyssey of the Mind Team Advances to State Finals

Pine-Richland Middle School's Odyssey of the Mind Club team competed in the Western PA Regional Odyssey of the Mind competition on March 8, where they took second place and qualified for the state finals in April.

The eighth-grade team includes Sophia Cosgrove, Katie Gliptis, Ellie Kaufman, Kiara Liyanage and Violet Zappas. The club is sponsored by Mrs. Kathy Deal and coached by Mrs. Amy Gliptis.

In addition to solving a spontaneous problem on the day of the competition, the team also spent five months leading up to the competition preparing for the long-term challenge. Teams were tasked with presenting a dinner party based on a book from a list of classic literature. The dinner party was to include a gourmet meal, team-created cooking gadget, and a chef character from the selected text who presented the meal.

Teams were scored on their long-term problem solution and the style of the presentation, as well as on the spontaneous problem. This team competed at the regional Odyssey of the Mind Competition last March and also qualified for and competed in the state finals.

The state Odyssey of the Mind Finals will be held April 5, 2025, at the Pocono Mountain East School District in Swiftwater, Pennsylvania.

The Odyssey of the Mind program promotes creativity by challenging teams to solve divergent problems. Working in teams, participants learn teamwork, appreciation and understanding of others, and that a group is a more powerful thinking force than an
individual. Through preparatory activities, teams work on brainstorming and role-playing. All preparation is done outside of the school setting.