Vermont Odyssey of the Mind

The Odyssey of the Mind is an international al program whose mission is to provide creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college. Through solving challenging and fun open-ended problems, students develop creative-thinking skills that can be applied to real-life situations. Schools or community groups purchase a membership and form one or more teams comprised of five-seven students each. Each team chooses one of five competitive problems to solve. The problems appeal to a wide range of interests; some are technical in nature, while others are artistic or performance-oriented. Under the guidance of an adult coach, teams work on their solutions throughout the school year and, if they choose, present them before an audience and judges in organized competitions in the spring.