A Donald E. Schick Elementary team is advancing to this year’s World Finals of Odyssey of the Mind according to a press release.

Odyssey of the Mind is a problem-solving competition that promotes creative thinking in students from kindergarten to college.

The students are grouped into teams and select a problem to solve; their work must be done completely on their own without input from adults or other outside interference. The problems are broad in scope, ranging from building mechanical devices to presenting interpretation of literary classics.

The students write a script, create costumes and props, and may work with electronics, building, artwork and other modalities, all on their own.

At competition, after months of work, teams present their solution to a panel of judges, who rate for creativity and how well the project met the very detailed goals set forth in the problem according to the press release.

The team is comprised of six students in grades three and four; twin brothers Ibraheem and Ismaeel Bin-Qasim, Aiden Flynn, Jude McHenry, Jane Sands and Serenity Springman. The problem this year’s elementary school team tackled included — among many other elements — build one or more team-designed vehicles using multiple propulsion systems to complete four tasks. The team created a unique solution that advanced them through the Regional and State-level competitions, and now on to Worlds.

The World Finals will take place in Ames, Iowa May 25 thorugh 28 where teams from across the country will be participating. For those interested to “Help Schick Elem OM team get to Worlds” may donate on GoFundMe at https://gofund.me/87a830c0.