PSJ "Odyssey of the Mind" group wins prize with robocoon

The Port St. Joe High School Odyssey of the Mind team did themselves proud last month at the World Finals at the Campus of Iowa State University. Odyssey of the Mind is a creative problem-solving competition for students. Teams select a problem, create a solution, and then present their solution in a competition against other teams. 37 teams from all over the world traveled to Iowa in order to compete for the title of World Champion – Port St. Joe walked away with a second place trophy. The team solved the Long Term Mechanical Problem- called “Teach Yer Creature” where they created and presented a robotic raccoon that they trained to do five different actions. Along with the second place trophy, the team also picked up The Ranatra Fusca Award, the most prestigious award given at Odyssey, which is given to the team who took risks and thought outside the box. The 7 member team includes Jesse Raffield, Douglas May, Heather Strange, Jon Endres, Sara Hoffman, Erica Protsman, Katie McNeill and team coach Carla May.