North Country Students Shine at Odyssey of the Mind Regional Competition

Watertown, NY - On Saturday, March 7, 2026, 121 students from Regions 8 and 9 displayed their creativity, problem solving abilities and teamwork during the Odyssey of the Mind Regional competition held at the Case Middle School in Watertown, NY.

The school was filled with imaginative ideas,innovative designs, and energetic performances as teams presented their long-term problem solutions. Students spotlighted their intelligence and ingenuity while applying months of preparation to bring their creative ideas to life.

Teams that earned first place in their division – and select second-place teams in advancing positions – will move on to compete at the New York State Odyssey of the Mind Tournament on Saturday, March 21, 2026, at the NYS Fairgrounds in Syracuse.

Pictures from the Awards Ceremony can be found here.

Students participating in Odyssey of the Mind dedicate months of their free time developing solutions to complex problems. Along the way, they have built valuable skills including teamwork, independent thinking, budgeting,creativity, and confidence. Each team must also work within a cost limit while designing and constructing their solution, encouraging careful planning and resource management.

In addition to their prepared presentations, teams also compete in a Spontaneous Problem, where they must solve a previously unseen challenge on the spot. This portion of the competition tests the students’ ability to think critically and creatively under time constraints.

Complete results from the Regional Tournament are posted on the NYSOMA website https://www.nyodyssey.org/regional-results-2/region-9.

Community members are encouraged to support the advancing teams at the New York State Finals on March 21^st. Spectators are welcome, and additional information can be found at  https://www.nyodyssey.org/state-finals.

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Results

(Teams Advancing to States are in BOLD)

Problem #1 – Off the Rails

Division 1

1st Place – Beaver River Elementary School

‍2nd Place – Mannsville Elementary School

3^rd Place – Sackets Harbor Central Schools

Division 3

1st Place – South Lewis Central School

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Problem #2 – Lost in OMERland

Division 1

1st Place – Beaver River Elementary School

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Problem #3– The Epic Quest

Division 1

1st Place – Mannsville Elementary School

2^nd Place– Beaver River Elementary School

3^rd Place – Lura Sharp Elementary School

Division 2

1st Place – Copenhagen Central Schools

2^nd Place– Sackets Harbor Central Schools

3^rd Place– Beaver River Middle/High School

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Problem #4 – Life’s a Ball

Division 1

1st Place – Lura Sharp Elementary School

‍2nd Place – Sackets Harbor Central Schools

Division 2

1st Place – South Lewis Central Schools (Team A)

2^nd Place – South Lewis Central Schools (Team B)

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Problem # 5 – Taller Tales of John Jivery

Division 1

1st Place – Beaver River Elementary School

2^nd Place– Sackets Harbor Central Schools

3^rd Place – Mannsville Elementary School

Division 2

1st Place – Beaver River Middle/High School

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OMER Award

Mannsville Elementary School, Problem 5, Division 1 Team

Sackets Harbor Central Schools, Problem 5, Division 1 Team (Spontaneous)

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Ranatra Fusca Creativity Award

South Lewis Central Schools( Team B), Problem 4, Division 2 Team (Spontaneous)