MOUNT CARMEL - Four teams of students from Mount Carmel Area Junior-Senior High School will compete at the Odyssey of the Mind (ODM) state finals next month.
Odyssey of the Mind is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college. Teams from throughout the state will compete April 14 at Pocono Mountain East High School for a chance to qualify for the world finals at Iowa State University.
Students have eight minutes to complete a specific problem, which was chosen in advance by each team. Points are awarded on creativity and execution.
Team one will tackle "Ooh-Motional Vehicle, Problem No. 1," which requires students to design, build and drive a vehicle that will travel a course, where it will encounter three different situations. A skit that incorporates the vehicle must also be performed.
The team created a three-wheel vehicle powered by a small motor that will negotiate the course. Stef Cimino will steer the homemade vehicle as Robert Varano, Joe Zanella, Kristen Duceman, Cathy Fletcher, Bryson Purcell and Michael Swatski perform the skit. Large colorful backdrops were created to go with the theme of the problem. Students are coached by Aaron and Kelly Domanski.
Team two, consisting of Jesse Hoffman, Caitlyn Curran, Jonathan Phillipine, Shamus McGovern, Joey Rompallo, Cody Deitz and Kyle Correa, will solve "Weird Science, Problem No. 2." In this problem, the team must create and present a performance about a team of scientists on an expedition to uncover the cause of a mysterious event. The "scientists" must collect two samples and report the findings.
The team chose the Alps as the area they will investigate and modeled their collection machine after "Dalek," the evil monster from "Dr. Who." Dalek consists of a system of pulleys surrounded by copper-colored cardboard with a painted metal salad bowl as the head. The team is coached by Andrew Yaracz and Jesse Wagner.
Team three will participate in "Odyssey Angels" in Division III, which requires students to create and present a performance where a group of students travel through one or more team-created places, where they encounter negative situations. The team must turn the situations into positive ones.
Their skit involves students who are studying to become sisters of the parish, a priest, a convict and a penguin.
Team members are Jonathan Mazurkevich, Jillian Mazurkevich, Rosie Sandoval, Michelle Sandoval, Kevin Mekosh, Mary Rose Latorre and Josh Tomedi. Eric Joraskie serves as the unofficial mascot. They are coached by Cheryl Latorre, Nancy Joraskie and Missy Muldowney.
Team four, consisting of junior high students, will also take on the "Odyssey Angels" problem, but in Division II. Team members consist of Jordan Mushalko, Carl Darrup, Luke Darrup, David Quinn, Kasey Rompallo and Aleah Alderson. They are coached by Anne Darrup.
The team chose to encounter two problems in their skit: the banning of Odyssey of the Mind and the loss of people's creativity on a foreign planet. Two superheroes, one who speaks "trumpet" and one with extreme creativity, convince the evil "Dr. Not Nice" to stop the ban of Odyssey of the Mind and restore the creativity of the people.
The students designed, assembled and painted backdrops; wrote the skit, including the music, needed by the one superhero to speak in trumpet; and created all the costumes.
Teams must place first or second in their respective problem and division to move on to the world finals.