Bay Haven students head to Odyssey of the Mind

The motto of one of the fifth-grade teams at Bay Haven School of Basics-Plus competing in the Odyssey of the Mind competition is apparent. The saying is displayed on its tie-dyed T-shirts:

“There’s no problem we can’t solve with duct tape, super glue, Velcro and zip ties!”

The slogan is only half-joking, and it’s a perfect embodiment of the spirit of the competition. Odyssey of the Mind is an international program that challenges students of all ages to use their creativity to solve problems in a competitive format. Students are presented with a set of problems to choose from, and common household products quickly become tools of the trade. It’s all about on-the-fly decision-making and finding the most creative way to accomplish the tasks at hand.

“The great thing about Odyssey of the Mind is that anyone can compete in it,” said team coach Laurie Brown. “It’s not an exclusive activity. It’s open to anyone who’s interested in delving into creative problem solving.”

After taking first place in the regional competition and tying for second at state, two Bay Haven teams are taking their problem-solving skills on the road as they head this week to the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals in Ames, Iowa. There, hundreds of teams from all over the world will go head to head for a chance to be champion.

“It’s an incredible opportunity,” said assistant coach Tracy Bakich. “There are so many countries represented, and the students get to compete and interact with other youth of the same age.”

Bakich and Brown’s team chose the problem that requires them to build a vehicle that uses two propulsion systems to traverse a course while displaying a range of human emotions through a skit — all within a $145 budget. The team put together pegboard, Tinker Toys, dowel rods and PVC pipe to form the skeleton of their vehicle, which is powered by an air tank and ratchet system.

The vehicle eventually took the shape of Santa Claus, and the students’ skit follows Santa as he goes through a court hearing for wrongly placing a nice child on the naughty list.

“The vehicle is 100% designed and built by the students,” said Brown. “We can’t tell them how to fix things if they go wrong, we can only ask them questions to get them thinking.”

Once the teams qualify for the world finals, they have a limited amount of time to begin raising money for the trip, and the students, parents and faculty have worked tirelessly to raise the approximately $20,000 it costs.

Funding the trip has been especially difficult because Bay Haven is sending two teams to the competition, but parents say their efforts are well worth it.