Saratoga Standard

Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh (R,C-Ballston) and Assemblyman Robert Smullen (R,C-Mohawk Valley) introduced the Broadalbin-Perth High School Odyssey of the Mind team in the Assembly Chamber today to commend them on their first-place finish at the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals held from May 20-24 at Iowa State University.

Odyssey of the Mind is an international creative problem-solving program that encourages students of all ages to develop teamwork, ingenuity, collaborative communication, and critical thinking skills. The Broadalbin-Perth team consists of seniors Logan Aery, Lauryn Donahue, Blaine Herrick, and Jacob Hughes; junior Ryan Michalski; and coaches Carl and Alison Aery.

The team secured first place in Division 3, Problem 2, titled “AI Tech-NO-Art.” This challenge required teams to design, build, and operate a device that determines whether a work of art is beautiful or not. The device then dismantles any artwork deemed not beautiful to create a new piece that it considers beautiful. Additionally, the team received one of four Ranatra Fusca Awards for exceptional creativity in their problem solution, making them the only U.S. team to earn this recognition this year.

This achievement marks the fourth consecutive time this team has competed at the world level and represents the first world championship victory in Broadalbin-Perth's history.

“I’m incredibly proud of our Broadlabin-Perth students who showcased their exceptional teamwork and critical thinking skills at the Odyssey of the Mind competition last month. The entire community is cheering on your outstanding accomplishment, and we cannot wait to see the future challenges you take on,” Walsh stated.

“Odyssey of the Mind instills in our youth the values of teamwork and accomplishment," she continued. "These outstanding students have clearly made a contribution to the spirit of excellence that is a tradition of their school.”