LANSDALE – What is Odyssey of the Mind? With a name like that, most people expect to hear that it involves math or science. Would you be surprised to hear that it involves performing? And building? And drawing? And engineering? In OotM, it’s not how smart you are, it’s how you are smart. As Einstein said, “Everybody is a genius but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid.” OotM is all about a team of seven students coming together and using their own particular “smarts,” their unique talents and abilities, to contribute to one “long-term solution”.

An OotM team’s long-term solution is an eight minute skit which includes props and costumes. Team members are challenged to solve a problem in one of five categories: Vehicle, Technical, Classical, Structure or Performance. Only the members of the team can contribute to the solution. There can be no “outside assistance” from anyone else, including coaches or parents. There are three levels of competition. Teams that place in the Regional Competition move on to States. Teams that place at States move on to the World Finals where teams from all over the U.S. and foreign countries compete against one another for the title of World Champion.

Last year, the North Penn High School Odyssey of the Mind team competed in the technical problem; the challenge was to design, build and operate various devices that were powered by rubber bands and resolved some sort of “failure.” The team’s theme was politics and the issue was a failed government. The setting was a congressional meeting on the prehistoric continent of Pangea. This led to characters with names like “Franklin D. Roarsavelt,” “Abrafang Lincoln,” “TriSaraTops Palin,” “DuckBill Clinton,” “CondaLizard Rice” and “BaRapt Obama.”

Their skit was clever and entertaining. Their technical devices were ingenious. Their costumes were life-like and were made from unique materials such as pistachio shells, tennis balls, water bottles, bottle caps, walnut shells and toilet paper. One of their props was made from aluminum cans melted in a homemade foundry and shaped using a homemade Styrofoam mold. The team took first place at the Regional and State competitions. At both levels, they were awarded the highest honor, the Odyssey of the Mind Ranatra Fusca Creativity Award.

At World Finals, the NPHS team competed against 41 other teams from the U.S., Poland, South Korea, Singapore, Mexico, Slovakia, and Canada. They placed second and were the recipients of yet another Ranatra Fusca. Over 800 teams attended the 2015 World Finals Competition; only 7 received Ranatras. This award represents the essence of Odyssey of the Mind. It is presented to teams or individuals who exhibit exceptional creativity, either through some aspect of their problem solution, or an extraordinary idea beyond the problem solution.

The World Final’s judging team awarded the Ranatra Fusca to North Penn saying: “This team created an intricate membership sign, a Jurassic Presidential seal made entirely of rubber bands, dinosaur costumes that utilized pistachio shells, plastic spoons and every single part of a water bottle, and an extensively detailed T-Rex and triceratops. What truly elevated this team to another level was their representation of Pangea. Aluminum disks spelled out “Pangea” but they later stacked them together to form a globe featuring the prehistoric continent. The disks were created by melting down over 500 aluminum cans in a homemade foundry the team built in one member’s backyard.”

Odyssey of the Mind is not the most popular activity at North Penn High School; in fact, it may be the best kept secret as many students are still unaware that it exists. Students who are interested in learning more about Odyssey of the Mind and how they can participate, can come to a meeting on Monday, September 28th at 7pm in the Audion.

When NPHS students are deciding which extra-curricular activities to pursue, Odyssey of the Mind should be on the list for anyone who wants to apply their creativity to solve problems that range from building mechanical devices to performing on stage. Einstein said, “Creativity is just intelligence having fun!” OotM is just that!

For more information about North Penn Odyssey of the Mind, visit the district website www.npenn.org and follow the links “For Families” and “Odyssey of the Mind”.
For more information about the International Odyssey of the Mind program, visit www.odysseyofthemind.org