Fledgling Odyssey of the Mind teams at Rowe and Lyseth elementary schools distinguished themselves at the Northeast tournament in Biddeford on April 27.

Last year, Rowe Elementary School started a parent-led Odyssey of the Mind (OM) club. The club sent three teams to the Northeast tournament and two teams placed first and second. This year, Rowe was able to send four teams of seven students each to the tournament and two teams placed in the top three.

The Classics team placed second in their problem and division, and the Rowe Technical team placed first, with the special achievement of a perfect score, said Steph Walsh, Rowe OM coach. The Technical team now plans to go to the World Finals in Iowa and the club is fundraising to help students be able to make the trip. A Family Karaoke fundraising event is coming up on May 10, and the club has started a GoFundMe effort.

In addition, Lyseth Elementary School has a newly formed OM club at Lyseth elementary, led by parent coach Drew Lessard. That club fielded two teams at the tournament, with their Vehicle team placing third, and their Technical team placing second.

“We're all really proud of the accomplishments of these six teams, and our work to grow Odyssey of the Mind within the Portland school system,” Walsh said.

She added that if anyone is interested in bringing OM to their school, these parents are happy to chat. Email roweodyssey@gmail.com to connect.

Here’s a summary of the teams and the students and parents involved:

ROWE:

Technical Problem Team - won First Place in Division 1, Problem 2

Team Members (left to right): Penny Borland, Mia O’Leary, Maggie Flemming, Chiara Reali, Sam Richard, Emmett Walsh, Corran Redon

Coaches: Steph Walsh, Jen Robinson

Classics Problem Team - won Second Place in Division 1, Problem 3

Team Members (left to right): Evelyn Van Vranken, Elin Stefanowicz, Timmy Lovett, Noah Bower, Ambrose Dixon, Eammon Lovett, Emma Wieluns (not pictured)

Coaches: Janna Stefanowicz, Kim Lovett

Vehicle Problem Team

Team Members (left to right): Cam Nguyen, Jacob Morgan, Myrna Curran, Stella LeGassey, Isaac Bishop, Silas McQuade, Chiara Parker

Coaches: Emily Bishop, Nicole Nguyen, James Curran

Structure Problem Team

Team Members (left to right): Shiloh Logan, Kleio Cacciola-Peters, Theo Kleiman, Anthony Borden, Samuel Campos, Henry Farwell, Thomas O’Donnell

Coaches: Julia O’Donnell, Jadie Farwell

LYSETH:

Technical Problem Team – placed second

Coaches: Drew Lessard, Alysia Melnick, and Anna Berke (all parents)

Students (Left to right): Teddy Balfants, Amos Kazadi, Sylvan Lessard, Toni Smyth, Iona Barclay-Parlin, Emma Langlais

Vehicle Problem Team – placed third

Coaches: Libby Miller and Meghan Carey (both parents)

Students (left to right): Everett Spears-Harr, Percy Wilkinson, Louis Miller, Hazel McKinney, Beatrice McKinney, Esther Kappelman