Edison, NJ – In a groundbreaking achievement, students from Martin Luther King Elementary School in Edison, New Jersey, have etched their names in history by winning the 2025 Odyssey of the Mind World Championship. This marks the first time a team from MLK Elementary has captured the coveted title, a feat that has brought pride to the students, their families, educators, the Edison community, and the entire state of New Jersey.
The young team of 4th and 5th graders not only clinched the world championship but also swept the regional and state competitions, showcasing their exceptional creativity, engineering prowess, and teamwork. Their victory came in Division 1 of the “Save the Structure” challenge, one of the most demanding categories in the international creative problem-solving competition. Held from May 21 to 24 at Michigan State University in East Lansing, the 2025 Odyssey of the Mind World Finals attracted over 600 teams from across the United States and countries including Sweden, Poland, China, Singapore, India, South Korea, and Mexico.
The MLK Elementary team, coached by teacher Kim Kai-Cheng Poon, demonstrated extraordinary problem-solving and engineering skills by designing a balsa wood structure capable of holding 1,095 pounds— the highest weight recorded in their category. The challenge required the structure to be built using only wood and glue, testing the limits of ingenuity and structural integrity.
In addition to the engineering task, the students wrote and performed a creative skit, which was a required element of the “Save the Structure” challenge. They designed and constructed all the costumes and props themselves, earning accolades from the judges for their artistic expression and theatrical presentation. The panel was particularly impressed by the maturity and polish of the performance, with one judge remarking it resembled work typically seen at the high school level.
The winning team comprised Aarika Shukla, Akshara Deshpande, Amay Maheswari, Anika Dubey, Burhanuddin Jaorawala, Sahashra Saravanan, and Saket Kalangi. Throughout the competition, they exhibited remarkable collaboration, resilience, and innovation, earning not only a world title but also widespread admiration.
Their accomplishment stands as a shining example of the core values that Odyssey of the Mind encourages: creative thinking, collaboration, and perseverance. The triumph of these young students has become a defining moment for MLK Elementary and a source of inspiration for future participants in this global program.
