Goshen Post Elementary School’s Odyssey of the Mind (OOTM) team, The Sigmas, won fourth place at the OOTM World Finals tournament in East Lansing, Michigan for the Division 1, Problem 2 Technical Challenge, called “Mech-Animal Sidekick.”
The team won first place at both the Catoctin Region tournament and the Virginia State tournament. This achievement earned them a spot at the World OOTM Finals, which was held May 21–24 at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan.
Odyssey of the Mind is an international problem-solving competition. Over 13 countries and 29 states competed at the World tournament. The Goshen Post OOTM team’s outstanding performance in the "Mech-Animal Sidekick" problem—a highly technical challenge in which the team designed, built, and operated an original robotic animal that performs tricks to cheer people up—earned them the top honors.
The team’s project featured a creative storyline in which a robotic octopus amazed audiences with tricks. Their performance blended technical skills, superb acting, detailed costume design, and an amazing set of props, including a coral structure made completely of smelted aluminum and reused trash items.
The Goshen Post OOTM team was composed of students from first through fifth grade. This year's team included:
5th Grade: Shamita Magesh, Vibha Kachana, Vera Marimekala
4th Grade: Harrison Morford, Sujay Sai Maradani
2nd Grade: Sutton Morford
1st Grade: Dakshata Magesh
Coaches: Emily Morford, Krishnaveni Ramasamy, Doug Morford
Three of the team members – Shamita Magesh, Harrison Morford, and Sutton Morford – returned to the World OOTM Finals for the second time this year.