A Bethlehem Central High School Odyssey of the Mind team recently placed 2nd at the New York State Odyssey Finals tournament in Syracuse. The team will advance to the World Finals at Iowa State University in May.

Odyssey of the Mind is an international problem-solving competition for students in grades kindergarten through 12. Odyssey teams work together to solve challenges in both traditional and non-traditional ways, often incorporating props, costumes, acting and humor.

The BCHS team includes students Jeremy Cintron Ortiz, Bridger Lewis, Stephanie Piccolo, Nex Cridlig, Rayne Beiter, and Sierra Obernesser.

The team was challenged to design and build a balsa wood structure that could hold as much weight as possible. The structure was tested during a humorous performance to see how much weight it bears. The high school’s team built a structure weighing only 14 grams that held over 300 pounds!

In addition to the high school team, four teams from the middle school competed at the NY State Finals tournament.

All teams did very well with one team taking 3rd place in their problem and division. The team placing third included Liam Singh, Katie VanApeldoorn, Owen Tarrier, James Richman, and Ann Hu.

Congratulations to our BC Odyssey teams and the district’s Odyssey coordinator Rebecca Beiter. Anyone interested in learning about Odyssey of the Mind should email Rebecca Beiter at rbeiter@bethlehemschools.org.

Best of luck to the BCHS Odyssey team as they prepare for the Odyssey World Finals!