OGDENSBURG -- Students from St. Lawrence County will showcase their creativity March 2, during the Odyssey of the Mind regional competition.

Ogdensburg Free Academy will be full kids hoping to show off their smarts and creativity in this tournament.

The winners will represent St. Lawrence County at a statewide competition and possibly World Finals.

The students have worked to come up with solutions to one of these five mind-bending problems posed by Odyssey of the Mind:

Ooh-Motional Vehicle: Teams build a vehicle that they can ride on and that travels around an obstacle course. The vehicle will also change to show different human emotions.

Weird Science: In this NASA-sponsored problem, teams come up with new reasons behind the many mysteries we experience on Earth, such as an erupting volcano. They showcase their “new” explanations in a skit along with a technical representation of the phenomenon they’ve chosen from images taken by NASA satellites.

To Be Or Not To Be: Teams reinvent a classic Shakespeare character in a performance that ponders this infamous question — with a twist. They also turn a tragedy into a musical comedy.

You Make the Call: Teams design a balsa wood structure that weighs no more than 15 paper clips and supports weights. These lightweight structures are known to hold over 1,000 pounds. Teams will also create a device that demonstrates a mathematical function.

Odyssey Angels: Teams devise ways to help their communities in a performance that portrays team-created places, students with special powers, and — of course — a happy conclusion!

Students have spent months of their free time solving these problems as well as developing teamwork skills, independent study, friendships, confidence, and most importantly – improving their problem-solving abilities. They learn new things and utilize their strengths to solve the problem. Teams also learn how to budget money since there is a cost limit to each problem.

The tournament starts 8 a.m. and continues throughout the day. The Awards Ceremony begins at 2 p.m. These winners will go on to the next statewide level of competition, and possibly to World Finals to be held at Iowa State University.

Spectators are welcome to join the rest of the supporters of OotM: parents, coaches, judges, teachers, and students. They all work together with the common goal of giving kids a chance to express their creativity, support the arts, and to learn new things in a fun environment.

For more information visit www.odysseyofthemind.com or www.nysoma.org.