Three St. Lucie Schools Land Top-10 Finishes at Odyssey of the Mind World Finals

Three St. Lucie Public Schools teams cracked the top 10 at the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals, placing among the best student problem-solvers on the planet in a competition that drew hundreds of teams from around the globe.

Fairlawn Elementary finished fifth out of 50 international teams in Problem 5. Morningside Elementary placed sixth out of 57 teams in Problem 3. Windmill Point Elementary came in ninth out of 43 teams in Problem 4. Three schools from the same Florida county finished in the top 10 at the same world stage — a rare achievement for a district that serves families across Port St. Lucie and Fort Pierce.

Odyssey of the Mind challenges student teams to solve complex, open-ended problems that blend creativity, engineering, performance and teamwork. Teams spend months designing original solutions — building mechanical devices, writing scripts and constructing costumes — before competing at regional and state levels to qualify for the World Finals. Reaching the global competition alone marks a significant achievement; finishing in the top 10 puts a team among the elite programs in a competition that draws participants from dozens of countries.

Coaches Lindsey Neshkoff and John Renschlet guided Fairlawn's fifth-place team. Coaches Britt and Martin LaChance led Morningside's sixth-place squad. At Windmill Point, coaches Lacey Black and Sean Caroglanian guided their team to the ninth-place finish. Every top-10 result rests on a coaching staff that volunteers hundreds of hours — guiding students through creative dead ends, rebuilding prototypes and pushing young minds to think in ways no standardized test can measure.

The placements remind St. Lucie County students that world-class problem-solving talent lives right here on the Treasure Coast. Parents whose children participate in creative and academic enrichment programs should know that St. Lucie Public Schools' Odyssey of the Mind program offers a competitive pathway from school-level tryouts all the way to international competition — an opportunity worth exploring for any student who thrives on challenge and collaboration.

The district celebrated all three teams for representing St. Lucie Public Schools with what officials described as "enthusiasm, camaraderie and kindness" — qualities that, in a competition built on teamwork, matter as much as the final score.

Families interested in how their children can participate in next year's Odyssey of the Mind season should watch for program announcements from individual schools when the 2025-26 academic year begins this fall.

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