Farmingdale 'mousemobiles' on an Odyssey

Adults ordinarily use mousetraps to catch mice. But a group of Farmingdale fifth-graders has turned the device into child's play and a competitive pursuit.

The team of three girls and three boys from Saltzman East Memorial Elementary School used mousetrap-powered ''mousemobiles'' in maneuvers such as crossing a tightrope, driving through a ring of fire, hitting a clown's nose and doing other simulated circus-type acts to qualify for Odyssey of the Mind, an international competition to solve problems and have fun.

The Saltzman team's creativity and quick-wittedness led to a first-place finish at the New York State finals and a trip later this month to Maryland for the world finals.

When the fifth-graders compete May 27-30 at the University of Maryland, it will be the first time the district is sending a team in the 20-plus years of Farmingdale's involvement in the Odyssey competition.

The team

William Huebner, Edward Makhanlall, Britney Pham, Lydia Roos, Leslie Sattler and Jake Shultz beat 21 teams at the Long Island regional and New York State level in March and will compete against other teams from the United States and about 23 other countries.

Excitement is running high in the district. "We're ecstatic here. We're on a cloud," said Eve Dieringer, principal of Saltzman. "This is a first for Farmingdale."

Coach JeanMarie Papillo is just as thrilled. "My heart swells with pride for them," said Papillo, who coaches teams under the school's Horizons Gifted and Talented program.

Odyssey of the Mind, founded in 1978 by Sam Micklus, a professor at Rowan University in New Jersey, stems from a challenge to students in his industrial design classes to create vehicles for crossing a lake. His son, Samuel Micklus, international director of New Jersey-based Creative Competitions Inc., which administers the contest, praised the Farmingdale students.

"It's very difficult for a team to reach the world finals, especially in New York with [its] 16 regions," he said.

That's a feat not lost on the students. "It's like a dream," said Britney. "It's really hard to get there." Teammate Jake feels the same way. "I'm happy that we're making it that far," he said. "I'm looking forward to having fun."

Teams from Our Lady of Wisdom Regional School in Port Jefferson and the Long Beach School District's Learning Activities for Raising Creativity (LARC) program, which is sending two groups of fifth-graders, will also be in Maryland.

It is the first time in seven years that Long Beach has made the finals. "We're all very excited about what this means for our students," said Mary Tatem, the district's director for pupil services and the LARC program. "It's an excellent way to have these students meet other students from around the world."

Each year the contest presents problems requiring specific tasks to accomplish using creative solutions. Teams from elementary to college level choose a problem, work on it over weeks or months, then compete at their grade level in regional and state contests. Entrants must adhere to a stringent budget and do everything themselves. State winners advance to the finals.

Circus theme

Using "The Cheesy Circus" as a theme for their problem, "Extreme Mousemobiles," team members play roles that include a clown, a mouse tamer and a color announcer who describes the action and tells jokes during the performance, which cannot exceed eight minutes.

At the state eliminations, the mousemobiles successfully did each task on the first attempt and finished in 5 minutes, 30 seconds. Team members made their colorful and imaginative costumes and 16 props.

Their balsa wood mousemobiles come equipped with CDs for wheels, spring-loaded mousetraps and a toy mouse or two.

The contest fosters self-confidence, Papillo said. But as the finals draw near, exhilaration is the prevailing emotion. "This is like the best achievement; I can't wait to do it," said Lydia, echoing the sentiments of teammates Edward, Leslie and William, the team's captain. "It's really cool to be the first in your town to have won this opportunity."