The new Wiscasset Primary School Odyssey of the Mind team will put its best feet forward this Saturday, March 16 at Auburn Middle School for the Maine State Odyssey of the Mind Primary Tournament.

The Wiscasset Primary Team is made up of first grader, Linnea Andersson, and second graders Myra Pekich, Ellery Downing, Madison Westrich, David Andersson, Liam Allen and Waylon Bogart.

The students have been working very hard, meeting every Thursday since January 3, as well as on 'early release Wednesdays' and twice on weekends to work on the assigned problem: "Top Sea-cret Discoveries." They have eight minutes to set up their set and perform a skit that explains an inventive reason for the ocean's waves and includes a secret that the audience can know but one of the players cannot.

Costumes, set-design and script must be the sole work of the students with no adult advice or contribution. The team has demonstrated great creative thinking and problem solving skills plus a remarkable ability to collaborate and share ideas.

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 devices 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 about 25 other countries participate in the program. Last year, Wiscasset Middle School sent a team all the way to the world competition!

For more information on the Wiscasset Primary Odyssey of the Mind Team, contact Natalie Allen at penmola@gmail.com/. For more information on this Saturday's event, please visit www.meodyssey.org/.