Martin Meylin Middle School's Odyssey of the Mind (OM) team left nothing to chance this time around.

The Martin Meylin squad - eighth-graders Asha Lindskog, Lucy Gochnauer, Emma Cowan, and Aubrey Hikes; seventh-grader Avery Kalasinsky; and sixth-graders Sam Hughes and Judah Diffendarfer - took matters into its own hands.

After advancing to states the previous two years by winning a lottery for third-place finishers, the current team took did not need to rely on the luck of the draw.

Instead of advancing to states through a lottery, this year's squad earned an automatic berth to the state competition by placing second in the East Central PA Region at Millersville University on March 8.

"This was a good one," coach Tracey Harber said. "We were happy about this one."

The gifted education teacher noted that the lottery is conducted by pulling names out of a hat to fill open slots. "This year they earned it on their own," she said.

Team members didn't know what to think while they anxiously awaited the results. "I looked over at Emma and I said, 'So we either cooked or we're cooked,'" Avery recalled.

Aubrey said, "They called third (place) and I thought, 'Oh we either didn't do it, or we actually did pretty good.' Then they called Martin Meylin (for second place), and I said, 'What? What?'"

"You should've seen the look on our faces," Avery said.

The prompt at regionals was to retell the story of three constellations using a shooting star that changes appearance and positioning and a theatrical lighting effect. To retell the story, the Martin Meylin team created an aquarium that houses a fish that turns pink when it's sick and is clear when healthy.

Aubrey, who has been a member of the OM team for three years, is impressed by the current version's organizational skills. Busy with other responsibilities, Aubrey was recruited to join the OM team four days before the regional competition. She assisted with the production of the shooting star, which was composed of recyclable items, including hangers, a spool, a wooden pole, and a pulley system made of cardboard. "And a lot of hot glue," Asha added. "Hot glue was our best friend."

The shooting star was an integral part of the presentation. "We had to get really creative with it," Asha said. "It is in four scenes, and you can't hide it."

Fortuitously, when Aubrey, Asha, Avery, and their teammates were constructing the shooting star, they prepared for what could have been the worst-case scenario. When the shooting star didn't work as planned during the region competition, the group improvised.

"We pretended there had been an explosion then switched to the next scene," Avery said. It all turned into a happy accident. "That really kind of saved us," Asha said. "It was a unique way to change it, and we kind of integrated it into our current star."

"Improv is a big part of Odyssey of the Mind, being able to think quickly and creatively," noted Avery.

Martin Meylin earned the top score in the long-term performance despite the star malfunctioning.

Avery worked on the OM project during the school's Challenge block as part of an independent study project. "It gave me the free time to work on brainstorming ideas that will benefit the team that we wouldn't have time to do in practice," she said.

Odyssey of the Mind team members also have an opportunity to try new things. Harber is permitted to tell students how to do various tasks, but she is not allowed to do any of the work on the set.

Aubrey learned how to sew on a machine so she could make an astronomer's costume. Her biggest compliment came from her grandmother, who enjoys sewing. "My grandma said, 'I'm so proud of you,'" Aubrey recounted.

Most of all, the teammates enjoyed spending time with each other while sharing inside jokes and creating lasting memories. Judah and Samuel made shirts with fish puns on the front. Emma created what Asha called a "wellvolution" when a photo of a well went viral and inspired the team to include a drawing of a well in their set.

Team members made pendants and bracelets. "Teamwork is a huge part of OM," Asha said. "We did a lot of team bonding. It always made me happier to be with OM. These guys are like my family."

Martin Meylin was unable to advance to the world competition during the regional event April 5 at Pocono Mountain East.

Harber said she was grateful for the help of Martin Meylin German teacher Joe Mencarini, who was a chaperone for the team. "Joe has done so much more for the team over the years," said Harber. "He has been my co-coach, sounding board, and driver for years, and a general source of merriment. Most of it was in English, but some of the dozen other languages he speaks popped in, including Klingon."

Harber said Odyssey of the Mind "is a creative, problem-solving competition for students from kindergartners to high school seniors." Its slogan is "Hands-on for kids and hands-off for adults."