The Pennington School’s Odyssey of the Mind team won the New Jersey State Tournament at Ewing High School April 13.
The team is set to compete in the World Finals May 23 through 24 in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Students in the tournament demonstrate both long-term and spontaneous problem-solving skills.
The team finished first in their division, Pet Project II. They were challenged to design, build and operate three vehicles that deliver parts to an assembly area. The parts are then assembled into a “pet” that performs a trick.
Additionally, the team participated in a spontaneous competition where they must collaborate to solve a problem they have never seen before.
The Pennington School team includes seventh-graders Benjamin Dorph of Washington Crossing, Pa., Jacob Essig and Sara Essig of Princeton, Ayanna Johnson of Ewing, Nicholas Micheletti of Milford, Jake Papa of Hamilton Square and Mitchell Walker of Lawrenceville.
The team is coached by Middle School mathematics teacher Susan Wirsig of Yardley, Pa., and seventh graders Cole Felsher of Pennington and Finn McConaughy of Hopewell.
Wirsig said the team worked collaboratively for about five months building and testing multiple ideas.
The Pennington School, founded in 1838, is an independent coeducational school for students in grades six through 12, in both day and boarding programs.
More information is online at pennington.org
