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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The OM-Mazing Race
Ready, set, go! In this problem teams will design, build, and operate an all-terrain vehicle that transports riders on a race for a prize. The performance will include a race to three team created original destinations and each leg of the race will include an obstacle that the rider and vehicle must overcome. The performance will include a host that narrates the action and it will conclude with the realization that the prize for finishing race was not as exciting as the Odyssey they took along the way.
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The Mech-Animal Sidekick
The saying goes "dog is man's best friend" but this year OMers get the chance to invent their own bestie! In this problem, team will design, build, and operate an original robotic animal that has the ability to make people happy. In the performance, the Mech-Animal will perform various tricks that cheer people up. When it suddenly goes missing, the people will search for it and find the Mech-Animal in a very unusual place. The performance will also include live music, a toy for the Mech-Animal, and a trainer character that explains the tricks.
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Classics...Cooking with Books
Classic cooking takes on a new meaning as teams create a performance about an original chef character that is inspired by fictional literary characters and events. Teams will choose from selected classic literature and create a gourmet meal based on their chosen book. The performance will include a setting from the book that inspired the meal, a team created cooking gadget, and a dinner party featuring the meal that includes a character from the book.
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Save Me Structure
OMers to the rescue! In this problem, teams will create a performance about an unusual animal rescue character that needs to find homes for balsam wood and glue animals. Two animals will represent actual living animal species and another will be team-created. The animal rescue character will test if a home is safe by balancing and holding up as much weight as possible. The performance will also include one animal getting a check-up, a humorous veterinarian character, and the creative use of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda.
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AstronOMical Odyssey!
OMers always shoot for the stars, and this problem is no different! Many civilizations have used stories, myths, and legends to explain the stars in the sky and their patterns. in this problem, teams will create a humorous performance set in a team-created "historical" civilization that presents constellations and original stories explaining each one. The performance will also include a humorous astronomer character with a "stellar" costume, a lighting effect and a shooting star!
