Portland, Maine, Elementary Kids Qualify for Odyssey of the Mind World Finals

The team at Amanda C. Rowe Elementary School in Portland has qualified for the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals.

Odyssey of the Mind (OM) is an international creative problem-solving competition that requires students to work together using Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (S.T.E.A.M.) This year, Amanda C. Rowe Elementary in Portland, Maine, continued their OM program, and Team Technical has qualified for World Finals!

Each year, teams of students choose from five different complex problems to solve and present at regional competitions. Coaches and parent volunteers cannot put a stitch in a costume or a screw in a board. Everything is written, created, built, and performed by the students.

The Rowe OM team chose the Technical Problem, which requires that the team build a device that signals whether original pieces of artwork are beautiful or not, and also disassembles one piece of art and reassembles it to create a new piece of art. The problem is multi-faceted, and they are judged on their originality, creativity, and the humor of the performance, among other things. Starting in November, the kids dedicated themselves to solving this problem.

They wrote a fantastically funny script, created inspired artwork and costumes, and built a device mainly out of cardboard, household items, and old dishwasher parts. This group of seven 5th graders has persevered through failed designs, overcome differences in opinion about the story and script, and become a close, cohesive crew as a result.

Tens of thousands of students from around the globe will compete at the World Finals at Iowa State University in late May and the Rowe School team is very proud to be part of that. Taking seven 5th graders and all of their set pieces, costumes, and art halfway across the country is no easy feat, and they need support from the community to make this possible.

How can you help Portland's Odyssey of the Mind team compete in the world championships?

Taking this team to Iowa with all their gear and family will cost about $2,500 each. That will include registration, housing, food, and transportation. It would be great to have Maine represented by these great kids.

Donate here to help Maine's Odyssey of the Mind Team compete in the World Championships! 

These kids aren't just sitting back waiting for donations to come pouring in. They are working hard to make money to pay for the trip themselves too! Here are some of the things the kids have in the works:

• Concession Sales at the 4/28 Mariners Playoff Game
• Silent Auction & Family Fun Karaoke Night at OLS on May 10
• Yard Work for Hire
• Bake Sales
• Yard Sale & Lemonade Stand

If you can help them make it further on their journey, thank you. If not, sharing is just as good. Goooooo Maine!