Saint Basil the Great CYO Team to Compete in International Odyssey of the Mind World Championship

The Saint Basil CYO Team is the only Catholic elementary school team in the State of Pennsylvania to advance to the World Championship this year

A team of seven students from grades 6 through 8 at Holy Family Regional School in Phoenixville, are set to compete in an educational World Finals competition, called “Odyssey of the Mind,” at Iowa State University from May 25 to May 28, 2016.  All of the students are from the Saint Basil the Great Parish CYO Program.  They are the only Catholic elementary school students in the state to advance to the World Championship.

According to its website, Odyssey of the Mind, “is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college.  Team members apply their creativity to solve problems that range from building mechanical devises to presenting their own interpretation of literary classics.  They then bring their solutions to competition on the local, state, and world level.  Thousands of teams from throughout the U.S. and from approximately 25 other countries globally participate in the program.”

The Saint Basil CYO Odyssey of the Mind Team placed first in Division II at the Regional Competition held in March and most recently placed second in their division at the State Competition held in Pittsburgh, PA.  The team competed in the Technical Problem “Something Fishy.” They were tasked with designing and operating a technical solution that simulates multiple styles of fishing.  They presented their solution with a performance that was set in Roman Times.

Team members and their families are working to raise funds for their upcoming trip.  In addition to launching a “Go Fund Me” page, https://www.gofundme.com/stbasilootm, they are also holding area bake sales and car washes to defer costs toward their trip to the world competition in late May.

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Contact:

Bonnie Olinger
Communications Specialist
215-587-3747 (office)