Send the DCS Odyssey of the Mind teams to Worlds!

Who are we: Hello! We are the coaches for the 4th grade and 6th grade Odyssey of the Mind teams for Durham Community School!

What is going on??: After 5 months of very hard work, both of our OM teams competed at the Maine State tournament and WON 1ST PLACE! They each solved unique and complicated challenges that involved months of engineering, scientific research, creative problem solving, theatre arts, and construction. This culminated in the tri-state competition in which our students represented the whole of Durham Community School. Now that they have won first place, they will be representing the entire state of Maine in the World Finals!

Why are we fundraising?: It will cost about $1,200.00 per person to send these students and chaperones to the big event which is being held at the University of Iowa from May 24-May 29th. That is a lot of money! But, these kids persevered through so many challenges and have earned their place with blood, sweat, and tears. They truly deserve a shot to compete at what can be described as the academic Olympics.

What is Odyssey of the Mind and why is it so special??: It can be very hard to describe the magic of this program but, in a nutshell, it is an academic problem-solving competition that is completely student-driven. Students form teams according to their grade level, choose a "problem" to solve (these problems fall into the STEAM categories of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) and spend all year working on their "solutions". No adults can contribute ideas or help them construct ANYTHING relating to their solution. On the day of each competition, they also have to solve a "Spontaneous" problem. This is a smaller challenge that they get day-of and have to solve within a matter of minutes. Those two scores are added together and that is how their placement is determined.

The teams would be so grateful for any and all monetary help that will allow them to follow through and go to Iowa. So, this is the part where the adults CAN help. Let's send these academic athletes to their Olympics and allow them to shine and represent our amazing state!