LI Middle School Advances To Unique World Championships In Iowa

LONG BEACH, NY — The Long Beach Middle School's Odyssey of the Mind team has been on the world stage for the past two years.

The Odyssey of the Mind is a scored competition that uses analytical and critical thinking skills. There is also a strong focus on tactile and visual learning, along with mathematics and scientific reasoning.

The students also to be able to construct ideas from logic and abstract concepts.

If that wasn't enough to keep the students busy, it is all being done while the children present a live theatrical performance.

This year's team came in first in the state for their division and region. So, Long Beach Middle School is off to Ames, Iowa to compete in the world championships later this month.

Since the pandemic started, the school's Odyssey of the Mind group came in the third in virtual competition. They finished fourth at the in-person version last year.

The students write their own scripts, build the sets and props and even make their own costumes, all with a limited budget and following strict Odyssey guidelines, the district said.

They write the script themselves, build the set themselves, build the props themselves, and they make their own costumes, all while their budget is limited, based on strict Odyssey guidelines.

Long Beach is also sending three elementary schools to Iowa.