Four NNPS teams tackle Regional Odyssey of the Mind competition
Posted: February 23, 2026
Teams from An Achievable Dream Academy, McIntosh Elementary School, Riverside Elementary School and Yates Elementary School competed in the 2026 Regional Odyssey of the Mind Tournament on February 21 at Menchville High School.
An Achievable Dream won the competition and will advance to compete at the Virginia State Odyssey of the Mind Tournament in Leesburg on March 14.
Newport News Public Schools welcomed teams from across the Commonwealth of Virginia as it hosted a combined tournament for Region 4 (Piedmont), Region 6 (Tidewater/Hampton Roads) and Region 10 (Rappahannock).
Odyssey of the Mind is a creative problem-solving competition that challenges students to think innovatively and work collaboratively. The international creative problem-solving competition challenges students to develop innovative solutions to complex problems.
Teams work together over several months to tackle long-term problems that incorporate engineering, artistic design and storytelling. Along the way, participants strengthen their critical and creative thinking, teamwork, time management and presentation skills.
Teams collaborate to tackle one of six long-term problems and also participate in a spontaneous competition.
In Problem 2, Lost in OMerland, the teams designed, built and operated a Technical Trip Assistant only to find their voice activated-device had a few malfunctions that result in hilarity. While they set out to explore a new place, the device gave a humorous answer to a question, wrong directions that took them to an unexpected location, and a silly translation.
All props and backdrops were required to fit inside two suitcases. Three NNPS teams participated in this problem. An Achievable Dream, coached by Sara Betzold, won first place; Yates, coached by Susan Kirkpatrick and Kendall Long, took third place; and McIntosh, coached by Lolita Clark, placed fourth.
In Problem 5, Taller Tales of John Jivery, teams created and presented a humorous performance about an original tall tale. The tale included a team-created hero or heroine that performed an incredible feat, a unique explanation of how something began or came to be, and a surprise for the audience. Each event was accompanied by a visual weather effect that represented an emotion. Riverside, coached by Heather Kinney, placed seventh.
