Schools

P.S. 203 Students to Compete in National Problem-Solving Competition

Fifth grade team advances to Odyssey of the Mind nationals after placing first in the state, while fourth graders win regional prize.

A team of P.S. 203 fifth graders recently took first place in New York State during a problem-solving competition and will now go on to compete at the national level.  

The Bayside school’s fifth grade team took the top spot during the March 23 Odyssey of the Mind competition at Binghamton University. Additionally, the school’s fourth grade team placed first in their regional division.  

The fifth grade team is now attempting to raise $12,000 to travel to East Lansing, Michigan to take part in the national competition between May 22 and 25, said Debra Halpern, parent coordinator for the school.  

“There has not been a New York City school to go to the world finals since 2009,” she said. “We’re pretty humbled by this whole thing.”   At the nationals, the fifth grade team of seven students will repeat their winning project, ‘It’s How You Look At It.’  

The team’s problem-solving project involved a performance during which two characters acted in a way that felt natural to them, but odd to others, said Katerina Stavropoulos, P.S. 203’s fifth grade teacher and the team’s coach.  

The categories at Odyssey of the Mind from which students can choose include technology, performance, creating a vehicle, transforming a classic piece of literature and building a structure.  
P.S. 203’s fourth grade team placed regionally after building a balsa wood structure that could hold up to 175 pounds. Both teams had coaches to act as monitors, but not to assist them or tell them how to complete their projects.   

Currently, the fifth grade team has raised an estimated $7,000 for the Michigan trip, Halpern said.  

“We’re still short, but we’re committed to sending them to the competition,” she said.


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