BIDDEFORD — Fifty-five teams from across the southern portion of the state competed in the Odyssey of the Mind regional competition at Biddeford Middle School on Saturday.

Odyssey of the Mind is a creative, problem-solving competition. Middle school and high school students form teams and compete in one of five different problem-solving categories.

One of the local teams was a group from Biddeford Middle School, which participated in the “Classics……Mockumentary! Seriously?” competition. Through this competition, teams select a classic story from a list and present a skit featuring characters from the story. The skit presents a dispute that is portrayed in a humorous, documentary-style performance.

The Biddeford Middle School team performed a spin-off from the croquette scene in Lewis Carroll’s classic “Alice in Wonderland.”

Camilla Roberge, who played the Queen of Hearts, explained that the group took a modern twist on the classic, incorporating a “Judge Judy” type scene through which the queen and Alice each tell their side of the story regarding a disagreement about the croquette game.

Team members say they spent a lot of time preparing for the event — writing the script, rehearsing the lines, and making costumes and the set. One of the more challenging aspects was making props that they could quickly set up and take away that would stand up and weren’t too top heavy, said Mackenzie Parent, who played Alice.

Avery Arena, a freshman at Yale University and a graduate of Gorham High School, has been involved with Odyssey of the Mind since she was in fourth grade. Arena, now a judge at the competition, said as a young student she was very quiet.

“Working with other team members in Odyssey of the Mind helped me get out of my shell,” she said.

Fern Brown, a teacher at Noble High School who serves as the co-director of Maine’s Odyssey of the Mind program, said the Odyssey of the Mind competition gives students who might not feel like they  always “fit in” a place where they can find like-minded friends in a creative and respectful atmosphere.

“They’re kind of find kindred spirits,” she said.

Students learn to work as a team within a budget and time-frame to find a solution, and gain a sense of poise after competing in Odyssey competitions, said Brown.

Winners in the regional competition will go to the state competition on April 7 at Biddeford High school. Finalists in the state competition will go on to the world competition in Iowa from May 23 to 26.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or [email protected].