P.K. Yonge Elementary and Middle School Odyssey of the Mind Teams Qualify to Compete at Worlds

P.K. Yonge had two teams qualify to compete at the Odyssey of the Mind Worlds competition after outstanding performances at the Florida state competition on April 12. The elementary team and middle school team both placed third at states. The middle school team was also recognized with the highest award given at the competition–the Renasca Fusca Award. This award is given for taking risks and outstanding creativity.

Odyssey of the Mind (OM) is a world wide creative thinking program that teaches students to learn creative problem-solving methods while having fun in the process. OM teaches students how to think divergently by providing open-ended problems that appeal to a wide range of interests. Students learn how to identify challenges and to think creatively to solve those problems. The creative problem-solving process rewards thinking “beyond the box.” 

“OM has thousands of students who participate worldwide and statewide. Florida is the largest state to compete in the competition. Just getting to the state competition is an accomplishment in itself, as it is very popular in both the elementary and middle school grades,” said P.K. Yonge Middle School Instructor and OM Coordinator Michael Poole. “Getting to worlds is an even tougher journey because you are competing against schools from all over the state just for a few spots to go to the world competition. Usually, each problem has 20-25 teams, and there are five different problems that students can elect to compete in, and three different divisions–elementary, middle, and high school.” 

The elementary team that will compete at worlds consists of Alice Hill, Braylen Sheppard, Harrison Hamilton, Lark Mathien, Hattie Hammond, Brown Miller, and Buskie Miller and are coached by Karen Hamilton and Angie Gonzalez. Their problem was in the AstronOMical Odyssey division. Teams in this division created a humorous performance about constellations using a creative historical context. 

The middle school team that will compete at worlds consists of Avery Hill, Landon Marchman, Luca Weinstein, Leanni Silva, Emmali Silva and Gigi Ramblas  and are coached by Angie Gonzalez and Michael Poole. Their problem was in the Save Me Structure division. Teams in this division compete in a balsa wood structure test while telling a humorous story about unusual animal rescue characters. 

“Odyssey of the Mind fosters some of the most critical skills we aim to build in our students—collaboration, creativity, and resilience,” said P.K. Yonge  Elementary School Principal Dr. Ashley Pennypacker Hill. “Programs like OM are essential because they give students real opportunities to think deeply, take creative risks, and solve complex problems together. These are the skills that prepare them not only for academic success, but for life beyond the classroom.” 

P.K. Yonge had six Odyssey of the Mind teams this year that competed at regionals. Four teams qualified for state competitions. Two teams will be competing at the worlds competition at Michigan State University May 20-24, 2025. The Odyssey of the Mind program at P.K. Yonge is for 3rd through 12th grade and there are usually six to ten school teams.