In the News

Colonial School District: Odyssey of the Mind to send two teams to states

“I’m excited to see all of the different and creative ways teams from across the state solved our same problem,” said PWHS junior Jackson De Guzman. “Pennsylvania is an Odyssey powerhouse, and the performances you get to see at states are always incredible.”

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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Odyssey of the Mind regional competition brings out the creativity and brainpower

A team of students from Pine-Richland and North Allegheny high schools earned a coveted award after placing first in their age group in the 2024 Odyssey of the Mind Western Pennsylvania Regional Tournament at Keystone Oaks High School on March 2.

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WNEP: Students think outside the box in Monroe County: Students from across our region are putting their brain power to work all while learning new skills

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NorthcentralPA.com: Odyssey of the Movies: Williamsport native finishes documentary
According to Williamsport native Alyssa Chamberlin, Odyssey of the Mind (OM) is a problem-solving competition in which “kids come up with their own ideas, build their own props and sets, write their own script, etc.; everything the team presents comes from them.” That approach could just as easily describe the process behind a new OM documentary that Chamberlin made with her husband, Garrett Stiger.

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Lancaster Online: 3 Lancaster County Odyssey of the Mind teams place in top 10 in respective divisions at World Finals
Lancaster County’s three Odyssey of the Mind teams recently finished in the top 10 in their respective divisions out of hundreds of teams at the 2023 World Finals in Michigan.

Manheim Township Middle School’s team received a bronze trophy for its third-place finish, while Montessori Academy of Lancaster received an honorable mention for placing sixth in its division. Solanco High School’s team ranked 10th out of 30 in its division.

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WNEP: Area students headed to global competition
These impressive feats of engineering are headed to a global stage. It’s all part of a unique competition for middle and high school students called Odyssey of the Mind. Teams are given a problem to solve at the beginning of the school year. They spend months coming up with a solution, which they then present through a theatrical performance.

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Wellsboro Gazette: Wellsboro team takes Odyssey to world competition
A team of elementary and middle school students have a solution for a dream — create it. An Odyssey of the Mind team from the Rock L. Butler Middle School qualified for the world level of competition, winning first at the March 4 regional competition in Williamsport and at the April 1 state event in Lock Haven.

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WNEP: Odyssey of the Mind competition held in Monroe County
A competition to get students thinking outside the box was held Saturday at Pocono Mountain West High School

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LancasterOnline: 3 Lancaster County Odyssey of the Mind teams qualify for world championship competition
“I’ll make it public that there is a secret formula to success in this program and this team has mastered it,” said Meghan Dinardi. “The secret is: exceptional creativity, thinking outside of the box, resilience in the face of adversity, supporting team members, listening with an open mind, willingness to take risks, perseverance, compromise, and compassion. A team can’t make it to world finals without having developed these skills.”

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The News-Item: Two Line Mountain Odyssey of the Mind teams advance to state tournament
“I think it’s a wonderful program for students to show their creativity and problem-solving skills,” York remarked. “Not everyone is an athlete. Students in OM can channel their talents and show it another way. It’s very exiting to see kids come up with their own ideas.”

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Observer-Reporter: Salvation Army team qualifies for state competition in Odyssey of the Mind
“We were super proud of them. This is the first year we’ve had any teams, and they did a great job,” said Capt. Amber Imhoff, one of the team’s coaches. “Only one of the team members had competed in Odyssey of the Mind before, so it was new to most of them.”

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The News-Item: Five MCA teams advance in Odyssey of the Mind competition
“All of the kids did great. Countless hours are put into solving a long-term problem and the award is a testament to all of the bright minds who have repped Mount Carmel Area Odyssey. There are many intelligent Tornadoes out there.”

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The Almanac: USC middle school teams shine at Spontaneous Fun Day
“Spontaneous Fun Day is an Odyssey of the Mind competition where teams from the Western Pennsylvania region gather to test their problem-solving skills before heading to the regional tournament in March,” said Laura Murtough, who is USC Odyssey of the Mind co-coordinator. “At Fun Day, teams are given several problems to solve spontaneously or on-the-spot with no prior knowledge of the problem before entering the room.”

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NorthCentralPA.com: Three area teams move on to Odyssey of the Mind World Finals April 7, 2022

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Williamsport Area School District Educational Foundation (WASDEF)January, 2022 

At just 12 years old, it could be said that Cooper Gutberlet is an Odyssey of the Mind veteran.

The Curtin Intermediate School student cut his teeth on Odyssey of the Mind by watching his older brother, Max, compete in the international program that blends intellectualism, creativity and teamwork.

“Tve been competing since kindergarten,” Gutberlet said. “I believe it’s really important for kids to have these open and creative minds, and that is what OM creates.”

Gutberlet has helped propel Williamsport Area School district teams to coveted spots at the World Finals for the last seven consecutive years. Last spring, two of the Curtin teams placed in the top 10. 

Since 2015, WASDEF has collectively granted $37,073 to the program from a combination of gifts received from the community, area businesses and its Annual Fund. 

The program has impressed upon Gutberlet leadership and lifelong skills that he believes he will use the rest of his life.

“Odyssey of the Mind has taught me when and how to be a leader.” Gutberlet said. “The World Finals experience specifically has also improved my ability to be a leader. This is where the big dogs come to play, and everyone feels the most pressure that they have felt all year.”

“I know many people that use the critical thinking and creativity from the classroom and from OM to work effectively in their daily lives,” he added. “I will always use all the different sides I display in OM in my lifetime.”


Mt. Lebanon students finish second in Odyssey of the Mind World FinalsJuly 11, 2021

“Over the years, I have discovered teamwork has a much deeper meaning for me,” Nikki said. “To work as a successful team, you need to have self-awareness, respect, and courage, resulting in award-winning creative compromise.”

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Local districts among winners of regional Odyssey of the Mind challenge – March 9, 2020

“Odyssey of the Mind allows the students to develop their creative problem-solving skills while having fun,” said Karyl Otruba, the regional director for North Central PA Odyssey of the Mind. “Students have the power to apply their knowledge and make their problem solutions come to life in amazing ways.”

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St. Patrick’s Elementary School To Host Open House – Jan. 22, 2020

The students at St. Patrick’s Elementary School have a lot of options when it comes to extra curricular activities – one of those groups is Odyssey of the Mind, a creative, problem solving competition that allows students to work together and build life long skills. The students demonstrated an example of one of the competitions, and talked about what they love about the organization. 

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Cornwall-Lebanon students get creative at world problem-solving finals – June 4, 2019

Bearing opera fudge, an over-sized Lebanon bologna and a hulking shoofly pie, two groups of Cornwall-Lebanon School District students made their mark at a creative problem-solving world competition in Michigan in late May.

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Talk About Brain Power! Area Students Prep for Odyssey of the Mind World FinalsMay 14, 2019 PA Odyssey of the Mind took over the morning news on WNEP, the ABC affiliate in Scranton, ahead of their trip to World Finals! Check out the clips below and click here to read more!


Pennwood Odyssey Squad Heads To World Finals – May 22, 2019

Some seventh graders from Pennwood Middle School are in Michigan this week, representing their school in the Odyssey of the Mind world finals. Pennsbury School District Superintendent William Gretzula met with the team Tuesday before they headed to Michigan State University.

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Central Pa. students qualify for world Odyssey competition, but need your help to go – May 9, 2019

The Mechanicsburg Odyssey of the Mind Team placed second in the Pennsylvania State Tournament back in April, qualifying them to go on to the Odyssey world finals in East Lansing, Michigan, on May 22-25. More than 850 teams from across the United States and other countries are expected to compete in this final round.

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North Penn Now: Three teams from North Penn advance to Odyssey of the Mind World Finals – April 10, 2019

Ten student teams from the North Penn School District (NPSD) recently competed in the Pennsylvania Odyssey of the Mind State Competition, and three of those teams will advance to the World Finals Competition at Michigan State University.

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Tribune-Review: Penn Hills High School students earn awards at state competition – April 10, 2019

Penn Hills High School’s Odyssey of the Mind team recently earned awards at a statewide competition.

They competed against other schools in the Pennsylvania State Odyssey of the Mind Association’s state finals tournament earlier this month at Pocono Mountain East High School in Monroe County. At least 180 teams from across the state participated.

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Blue Ridge Communications TV13 News: Odyssey of the Mind State Competition – April 7, 2019


WNEP: Students Put Their Minds to the Test for Annual Competition – March 9, 2019

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Past news stories