HELP GORHAM’S ODYSSEY OF THE MIND TEAM GET TO WORLD FINALS!

After securing a FIRST PLACE win for their problem and division in the Odyssey of the Mind (OM) State Tournament on April 5, 2025, this team of 7th graders from Gorham Middle School was recently invited to WORLD FINALS in Michigan! World Finals 2025 will take place at Michigan State University May 21-24th, just a few weeks away, and we need your help to get them there! To help achieve this goal, we are launching this fundraising campaign.

While there are many teams all over the country that are invited to compete at World Finals, not everyone is able to accept that invitation due to the costs associated with getting there. This team worked so hard for months and they are not ready for it to be over! Anything donated to this fundraiser goes directly to the team and will be used to cover all of the expenses associated with registration, travel, food and housing, for each of its 7 members and their coach.

Your generous donation will become a part of these boys' journey and is so much more than just helping them get to Michigan, it’s an investment in their future. The amount of confidence and motivation that has resulted from this program is just incredible and these boys deserve an opportunity to take it to the next level. This is a huge opportunity that will offer them invaluable lessons during this unique, extraordinary experience. Any contribution, no matter the size, supports their future and further teaches that anything is possible if they put in the work.

In the little time between now and May 21st, the boys will be investing many more hours into all aspects of their performance and presentation in an effort to improve, based on the judges comments and their score from States.. Some of these things require just a little fine tuning, while others are to be scrapped and completely done over. In addition to that, they intend to host multiple fundraising events. These events are still in the planning stages but will be posted as they are booked. We invite you to come to any of these events and meet these kids that have these big dreams and see just why they deserve your support!

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The Team:

Caleb, Colton, Evan, Jackson, Kloud, Michael and Moaeen are all 7th graders at Gorham Middle School. Some of the boys have known each other for years and others met through this, though you would think they’ve all known each other for longer. All of their similarities and all of their differences complement each other in the best ways, as each boy offers a unique perspective. They created their team back in October, chose their problem and they eagerly jumped right in. Under the guidance of their coach, Danielle Quimby (Gifted and Talented Coordinator for Gorham Schools) they met at school once a week to share their ideas towards solutions to their problem.

The Problem:

2024-25 Vehicle Problem ~ 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 original, team-created 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 the race was not as exciting as the Odyssey they took along the way.

The Journey:

Of the 5 problems to choose from, the Vehicle problem is said to be the most challenging, but for these kids, that was all the more reason to take it on! The boys spent weeks problem-solving, thinking outside of the box, coming up with various ideas and really took their creativity to the next level. By December, it was time to start turning their visions and sketches into reality, and that's where I come in…..

My name is Cassandra and I’m the mother of one of these boys. My kid came home from school one day and informed me that we would be hosting OM at our house every week in one of those, “cool, thanks, bye” and runs off, kind of ways. Having him express interest in anything that isn’t video games just doesn’t happen, so naturally I wanted to do whatever I could to help encourage and support that interest, even if it meant becoming a “parent-coach” and hosting 6 preteen (plus mine!) boys every week. I did not know then what an absolute privilege it was going to be, The boys continued to meet once a week at school with Danielle and also once at week, after school, at my house. Eventually the boys split up into teams within their team and every one of those 7 boys put in work! They wrote a script, they designed backdrops, creatively made their own props and costumes, and the boys built a vehicle…. that actually drives!

Meeting after school once a week turned into two, sometimes three times a week pretty quickly. The boys had their struggles some days and other days, they worked hard. With OM, parents can teach and guide but they CANNOT “do”. Parents cannot give the kids ideas, they cannot build these things for them, they can only teach them how to do something and then step back…. and try to hide all that anxiety….. while they use power tools.

After many hours of strategizing, many hours of hands on, many many moments of “that didn’t work, let’s try it a different way”, many paint colors, so much hot glue, lots of cardboard, LOTS of duct tape (I mean LOTS of duct tape), these boys were ready for the tournament….. And they killed it! I mean, this performance had it all, time travel, action, comedy, lost love, a villain and more. Not only did they design and build all the backdrops, costumes, props, the vehicle and other specific requirements, they wrote and performed an entire script and portrayed it with passion.

The reason I mention myself in this fundraiser is not to brag about having the privilege of taking this adventure with these amazing young men, it is to share my experience in witnessing the journey these boys have taken. Having never heard of OM before, I felt it important to get informed, so I started reading. Everything I have ever learned about this program, I watched unfold in front of me in each of these boys. In these few short months, I was blown away with all the ways....

-I’ve witnessed the very definition of “teamwork” in these boys. A level of teamwork, mutual respect, genuine consideration for each other, encouragement and more between these boys, in ways that many adults are incapable of.

-I’ve witnessed days that they just were not feeling it, days that they felt incredibly discouraged, days that they felt down about ideas, days that were just so challenging they didn’t see the point. They did not quit. Not one of them quit. They started with 7, they’re going til the end with 7.

-I witnessed some of the boys who, at the start, were reluctant to share ideas because they didn’t think the ideas they had were good enough. Those boys have evolved into young men that not only express their thoughts assertively, but are also very confident in the things they contributed. Confident and proud.

-I’ve witnessed the progression of when some of them learned, understood, what the phrase, “you get out what you put in” actually means.

-I witnessed each one of the boys go from kids goofing around, without a care in the World throughout the day of the tournament, up until it was time to get into costume 20 minutes before they were due to go on. They went from goofing off to all different levels and versions of nervous. They were nervous, they were freaking out….. And they did it. They did it anyway. They did all of it exactly the way they wanted to and they left that room BEEEAAAAAMIIIIING.

Hands down, the very best part of this entire journey, the most significant thing I have witnessed, has been “that moment”. They make a plan, they learn a new skill, they second guess their abilities but keep going, they use their new skill to accomplish a task…. And. It. WORKS! I’m not talking the big overall thing, I’m talking about the little steps along the way. So little for us, but so BIG for them. They were taught how to use a drill, then drilled a hole in wood. Successfully. “That moment”. As things progressed, those little things, the little tasks, they became bigger things, more complicated tasks. Naturally, the reaction to a successful outcome also became bigger. I do not know that I can adequately describe “that moment”, but I will try. It’s that split second when nervousness turns to accomplishment, when “I don’t think I can” disappears, it’s a powerful mix of emotions that lights their entire being up. It’s amazement, surprise, pride, joy, disbelief, accomplishment, satisfaction…. It’s “holy crap, I did it”. And it is really cool to witness.

This program is special and these boys are the example of why. Right now, their dream is to get to Michigan and have an opportunity to compete against teams from all over. We can't do it without the support from our community!