A team of local students operating under the umbrella of the American Civic Association in Binghamton has made it to the 2023 Odyssey Of The Mind World Finals, which takes place May 24-27 in East Lansing, Michigan. Binghamton High School freshman Dolly Murphy (center in the above picture) is one of those who will be competing against other teams from across the United States… and the world.
“I am looking forward to connecting with people from all over the world, and seeing their own unique interpretations of performances and skits,” Murphy explained.
Odyssey Of The Mind is a competition that asks teams of students to utilize their creativity and problem solving skills to both accomplish a spontaneous task they have no knowledge of beforehand, as well as prepare a sketch that is unique while also following a central theme.
For the ACA team, the theme they and dozens of other teams will be performing is “Classics… The Walls of Troy”, where they will put their own spin on the concept of the Trojan Horse. They will create one of their own that will be used to get past a wall, and the performance will also include characters from The Iliad.
Making the world finals is a pretty decent first year of OM for Dolly, who was invited to join by one of her friends who she met while performing in the Binghamton Youth Symphony Orchestra.
“My favorite part of OM is meeting new people and making unexpected friends,” Murphy added. “If it wasn't for OM, I never would have met some of what I consider my closest friends.“
Click here to learn more about Odyssey Of The Mind
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The American Civic Association Odyssey Of The Mind team:
Susan Hirst
Dolly McLaury
Fardeen Rahman
Hibah Rahman
Inaaya Sethi
Keyahn Sethi
Allison Yoon