Welcome to Portland Odyssey Club of Maine!
Our website is your gateway to all things Odyssey in the Greater Portland area. Whether you're a student eager to explore your creative potential, a parent looking for ways to support your child's learning, or a volunteer wanting to make a difference, you'll find everything you need right here.
Are you a builder? A writer? Performer? Pick a problem, find your passion!
Portland Odyssey Club, Guiding Creativity To New Horizons! This involves exploring uncharted territories of imagination and innovation, pushing the boundaries of conventional thinking. It requires an open mind willing to embrace diverse perspectives and the courage to venture beyond comfort zones. By fostering an environment that encourages experimentation and values unique ideas, individuals can unlock their full creative potential. This journey often involves learning from failures, as each setback becomes a stepping stone toward greater achievement. Collaboration plays a key role, as exchanging ideas with others can spark new inspiration and lead to unexpected breakthroughs. Ultimately, guiding creativity to new horizons is about nurturing a mindset that sees challenges as opportunities and believes in the limitless possibilities of human ingenuity.
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OMER’s Shopping Service
Clean up in Problem 1! In this problem, teams will develop their very own creative OMER’s shopping service. They will build one or more vehicles that will perform tasks such as taking an order and shopping for the items requested. One of the items will not be available and the vehicle will choose a substitute item and eventually check out. For divisions 2 through 4 the items will be unloaded by a team-made device. As the finale, the vehicle will be released and return to its parking location.
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Haywire Hijinx
Oh no! Something has gone terribly wrong! In this problem, teams will create two “animatronic” devices. One device will “go rogue” and will make its own independent decisions, defying the orders it was assigned. The second animatronic character must correct the defiant actions and save the day, which allows the performance to continue. Each animatronic character will complete two tasks and the setting must include a representation that allows each animatronic character to see what it looks like to others.
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Classics...Wonders of the Ancient World Awaken
It’s alive! Teams will create a historian character who presents three of the seven Wonders of the Ancient World, explaining to an audience some of the lessons and meanings humans have learned from their creation. However, there might be more to these wonders than we think in modern times. During the performance, the ancient wonders will come to life and correct the historian character, explaining to the audience what real lessons they gave to humanity. The performance will include the use of Arm & Hammer baking soda and artistic replicas of the three selected ancient wonders.
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Copycat Structure
Are you copying me? In this problem, teams will use balsa wood and glue to make a structure which will be tested by balancing and holding as much weight as possible. They will also create a copycat structure that looks like the balsa wood and glue structure. During the performance, the copycat structure will mirror the actions and experiences of the balsa wood structure.
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The Musician
Many songs have been written about great events and people, but we don’t hear so many songs about everyday life. Teams will create a humorous performance featuring a Musician Character who meets a disheartened/saddened community. The musician must create a musical instrument out of “trash” items, play music and present songs that celebrate the ordinary parts of life. The performance will include a dancer character, a growing audience that loves the performances, and a grand finale.
