JEFFERSON, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- Fifteen students from one of Maine's smaller schools will be heading to Maryland later this month to compete against other students from around the world.
The Jefferson Village School placed two teams in the world championships of Odyssey of the Mind, a competition that tests brains, creativity and problem solving. The students are given a problem to solve -- in this case, they had to build folding structures out of balsa wood that would then support a significant amount of weight.
They also need to create and perform a short skit about the same theme. Student teams need to develop the solutions themselves, says Coach Kathy Peabody. The adult coaches are not allowed to help, only encourage. Peabody says the students at the Jefferson school "love Odyssey of the Mind."
This will be the third year teams from the school have gone to the world championships. They will be among 27 Maine teams to attend the event at the University of Maryland campus in College Park later this month. And they'll join some 860 teams from around the world. Eighth-grader Brady Grotton says one of the things the experience has taught them will be a life-long lesson: "You don't have to come from a big, fancy place to be successful."
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