After taking first place in the San Francisco Bay Regional Odyssey of the Mind competition in February, a team of science students from Heritage High School has set its sights on competing at the upcoming state tournament.

The team won the Division III Shock Waves competition by designing and building a structure using only balsawood and glue. Coached by Steve Collins, team members Gio Gajudo, Kenny Strauss, Stefanie Johnston, Katie Collins, Yash Gandhi, Josh Chang and Gio Diokno built an 18-gram balsawood structure that held 225 pounds of free weights.

Odyssey of the Mind is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college. Heritage teacher Jacqi Reed coached a second team that placed fifth in the Division III Superstition competition. The second team included students Jotti Aulakh, Saideh Mostafavi, Nina Do, Angel Le, Johanna Mort and Kailah Cayou.

Brentwood Union Elementary School District sent 31 teams to the regional competition, and students from Loma Vista, Paul Krey, Garin, and Marsh Creek elementary schools, plus Adams and Edna Hill middle schools, also qualified to compete in the state tournament next month. The public is welcome to attend the tournament, to be held on the Heritage campus Saturday, April 4.

Good luck to all the Brentwood teams!