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Several Chesaning and New Lothrop Odyssey of the Mind teams will be moving on to state competition after competing in last weekend's regional competition at Brighton High School.

Four teams each from New Lothrop Schools and Chesaning Union Schools competed, with all New Lothrop teams and two Chesaning teams headed to the state championships on April 14.

Odyssey of the Mind is an international problem-solving competition for students of all ages. Team members work together to solve a predefined problem and present their solution to the problem at a competition.

Albee Elementary School's Division 1 team competed in the "The Large And Small Of It" problem category. The Chesaning elementary school took second place for their efforts. The team, coached by Albee teacher Nancy Birchmeier, includes Jason O'Connell, Danny Nicol, Katherine Hafner, Paige Nicol, Danyelle Myers, Rachel Minnis and Autumn Delbridge.

The Chesaning Middle School team took second place in the Division II problem "Around The World In 8 Minutes." Coached by Todd Vondrasek, Deb Hunt and Chris Fall, team members are Amber Howlett, Alec Vondrasek, Brandon Fall, Rebekah Andrews, Cora LaBelle, Kim Hunt and Samantha Turner. This team scored especially well in the spontaneous portion of the competition.

The Division 1 team representing New Lothrop Elementary School solved the long-term problem, "I'm Only Thinking of You" and earned a third place finish. The team was required to create and present an original humorous performance that includes a Self-Centered Character and a surprise. The team used a pre-historic theme with dinosaurs attending a school. The New Lothrop Elementary School team members are Hailey Andres, Emily Smith, Nick Vincke, Cody Huber, Roen Wheeler, Gabe Bennett, and Remington Bennett. The students are in the 2nd through 4th grade. Dianne Henige, Denny Henige, and Cliff Huber coach the team. This is the first year competing in Odyssey of the Mind for all seven of the team members

A Division 2 team representing New Lothrop Elementary School solved the long-term problem, "Out of the Box Balsa" and earned a first place finish. The team was required to design, build, and test a structure made of balsa wood and glue that will balance and support weights. The team incorporated a humorous performance that included a harrowing airplane trip and resulted with the team stranded on a tropical island. The New Lothrop Elementary School team members are Maelin Wheeler, Ben Harnish, Jeremy Stuart, Sean Vincke, Gavin Bennett, and Jake Aznavorian. The students are in the 5th through 6th grade. David and Kelley Harnish coach the team. This is the first trip to the State Finals for three of the team members

A Division 2 team representing New Lothrop High School solved the long-term problem, "Around the World in 8 Minutes" and earned a first place finish. The team was required to create and present a performance that included a "Traveler" character visiting three locations during a trip around the world. The team used a video arcade theme that included visits to Greenland and Japan. The New Lothrop High School team members are Adam Ashley, Cody Loll, Katie VanHorn, Kayla Bila, Emily Mann, and Jeff Huber. The students are in the 6th through 7th grade. Ted Ashley, Tricia Ashley, and Irene Huber coach the team.

The New Lothrop High School Division 3 team that solved the long-term problem, "Tag 'Em" earned a first place finish. The team was required to design, build, and run small vehicles that make trips and get "tagged" within a tagging zone for score. The team's performance included comic book style villains and heroes in a medieval setting. The New Lothrop High School team members are Shauna Henige, Ryan Dolan, Courtney Rivette, Chet Birchmeier, Casey Jacobs, Markus Lieberknecht and Ted Ashley. The students are in the 10th through 12th grade. Denny and Dianne Henige coach the team. The team member's experience ranges from 1st year to 12th year in Odyssey of the Mind.

Odyssey of the Mind is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college. Kids apply their creativity to solve problems that range from building mechanical devices to presenting their own interpretation of literary classics. They then bring their solutions to competition on the local, state, and World level. Thousands of teams from throughout the U.S. and from about 25 other countries participate in the program.

Odyssey of the Mind volunteers judge the competitions, scoring teams for their long-term problem solution, how well they solve a "spontaneous" problem on the spot, and "style" -- the elaboration of their long-term problem solution.

The 27th annual Michigan Odyssey of the Mind State Finals will be held April 14th at Traverse City Central High School and Northwest Michigan Community College in Traverse City. Michigan is again hosting the world finals, which will be held at Michigan State University May 23-26.

To view the official Region 5 scores go to www.miodyssey.com For more information about the Odyssey of the Mind program, visit www.odysseyofthemind.com.