The Cape Henlopen School District is proud to announce that five teams have qualified for the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals, set to take place Wednesday to Saturday, May 27 to 30, at Iowa State University.

The achievement highlights the creativity, collaboration and problem-solving skills of students from Lewes Elementary, Rehoboth Elementary and Mariner Middle schools. 

An international program, OM challenges students to think outside the box as they work in teams to solve open-ended problems. Over the course of several months, students develop unique solutions that may include building structures, designing mechanical devices or creating original performances. In addition to their long-term projects, teams also compete in spontaneous challenges that test their ability to think quickly and creatively. Participants must complete all work independently, with solutions judged on originality, teamwork and effectiveness rather than one single correct answer.

Students say the experience has been both rewarding and memorable.

“It was a fun experience,” said Grayson Lanan, Lewes Elementary fifth-grader. “I got to make lots of new friends and learned how to solve problems in creative ways. Overall, it’s been an amazing experience so far!” Fifth-grader David Evan Solovey noted how his team’s commitment has finally come full circle. “I have done Odyssey of the Mind for three years and always had a goal to get to worlds,” he said. “Our team put in a lot of hard work and it paid off. I’m so excited to go!” 

Jen Celano, district coordinator for Odyssey of the Mind, praised the students’ dedication and innovation.

“These students have shown incredible perseverance, creativity and teamwork throughout the entire process,” said Celano. “Odyssey of the Mind is about embracing challenges and thinking differently, and our teams have truly exemplified that. We are so proud to see their hard work recognized at this level and can’t wait to see them represent Cape Henlopen on the world stage.”

The district team congratulates all participating students and coaches on this outstanding accomplishment and wishes the teams the best of luck as they prepare to compete against top teams from around the world.

Qualifying teams from Lewes Elementary are OM Problem 2 first-place winners Peter Hastings, Brooks Serpico, Sophia Ann Bueno, Samuel Capriolo and Ashton Walborn; OM Problem 3 first-place winners Grayson Lanan, Juliet Elder, Leila Shenkle, Abigail Smyth, Molly Ryan, David Evan Solovey and Sawyer MacGowan; and OM Problem 5 second-place winners Roger Roy, Brandon Brittingham, Graham Tuske, Jack Barr, Christopher Brown, Ben Muncie and Kirk Beebe. 

Advancing from Rehoboth Elementary are OM Problem 4 second-place winners Gavin Barnes, Keegan Hoffman, Zedekiah Richards, Finn Dare, Haiden Baker, Ryan Coleman and Sophia Hopkins.

Mariner Middle’s OM Problem 5 second-place winning team members are Ellie Willis, Liam Carter, Mia Delgado, Breanna Berlinger, Lane Carter, Robert Lehne and Noa Urrestarazu.