P.S. 203 Places 10th in National Problem Solving Competition

A team of P.S. 203 students placed 10th in the nation during the finals of a problem solving competition for which they recently ranked first in the state.

The Bayside school’s fifth grade team placed first in the state Odyssey of the Mind competition on March 23. At that time, P.S. 203’s fourth grade team also took the top prize in their regional division.  

In late May, the fifth grade team came in 10th place during Odyssey’s national competition in East Lansing, Michigan. The students reenacted their project “It’s How You Look At It,” a problem-solving project involving a performance during which two students acted in a way that felt natural to them, but odd to others.  

“I am extremely proud of the P.S. 203Q team, which competed on the world stage of the Odyssey of the Mind international competition,” Councilman Mark Weprin, D-Oakland Gardens said. “Their success illustrates how cultivating students’ interest and motivation can lead to great achievements and powerful learning experiences.”  

Carol Nussbaum, the school’s principal, could not immediately be reached for comment.  

Categories at Odyssey of the Mind included technology, performance, creating a vehicle, transforming a classic piece of literature and building a structure.  

P.S. 203’s fifth grade team competed against 18,000 participants during the world final, which drew students from all 50 states and 26 countries.  

The team was the first from the five boroughs to make it to the final in four years, said Debra Halpern, P.S. 203’s parent coordinator.  

The school’s fifth grade team had won their regional division four times in recent years.