Odyssey of the Mind Pushes Solehi Students Out of the Classroom and Into the World (s)

It took some square wheels, hundreds of soda cans and a lot of hard work for one Odyssey of the Mind team, but it paid off. The students from Southern Lehigh Intermediate School who made up the "Extreme Mousemobiles" team -- Michael Grabusky, Chloe Scozzafava, Maxwell Walk, Hunter Schuler, Alexandra Jameson, Nick Pauling and Andrew Buonanno -- along with coach Jim Grabusky will be heading to the 2011 Odyssey of the Mind World Competiton in May at the University of Maryland.

"It's such great news," said superintendant Joe Liberati. "Our students are exceptional, and we couldn't be prouder of their accomplishments."

Odyssey of the Mind events were held at March 19. More than 4,000 students swarmed the halls dressed as Oompa Loompas, carrying giant gorillas and driving shark trucks for the regional competition.

Odyssey of the Mind is worldwide, with 25 countries competing in grades K-12 as well as a college/adult division. Each year teams choose from different "problems" to solve. Past problems have included bridges made out of balsa wood holding hundreds of pounds, building robots that can walk forward and backward, or a play that has to include a conversation with an animal and a full set. With a price limit of between $100.00 and $150 per project, each team is pushed to creatively problem-solve.

This year, Southern Lehigh teams made mini-cars that raised flags, created a complicated device for a simple task, let a talking gorilla take a tour around the world and transformed a young girl into ... candy.

On top of creating a prepared skit, teams also had to participate in a "spontaneous" problem, sometimes without using words to communicate with each other. The total score from the "spontaneous" event and the planned performance determined the winners.

Southern Lehigh Intermediate School's "Extreme Mousemobiles" team moved on from regionals to state competition on April 9. "Worlds" will be held over Memorial Day weekend. Right now, the team is looking to raise the funds to participate, which experts estimate will run the team almost $7,000.

"The competition will take over the University of Maryland," said Mike Twardowski, who has coached multiple teams to "worlds." "It's unlike anything you've ever seen before. These kids are in for a life-changing experience."