Telling a story about ancient Egypt is not always easy, but it can be done with a little papier-mache, some hieroglyphics, a set of walkie-talkies and a giant eye.

Or so it was for the judges watching one of the two Port Byron Odyssey of the Mind teams at the Binghamton competition in March. Due to their creative method of telling the story of Queen Hatshapset and her struggle to save her village from famine before she was exiled, this Port Byron high school team was one of four locally (including a second group of Port Byron students) to qualify for the Odyssey world finals coming up in May.

"Winning something like this takes teamwork," team member Pat Fagan said. "And a lot of duct tape."

Odyssey of the Mind is an international education program that requires teams of students, from kindergarten to college, to use creative methods to solve problems like building mechanical devices and interpreting literary classics.

Volunteers from around the world judge the competitions, which take place on a regional, state and world level.

Teams are scored for their problem solving, how well they solve a spontaneous problem, and style.

This Port Byron team took on the Odyssey problem titled "Get the Message."

This problem requires students to present an original performance that includes a story told three times using different methods of communication, including one futuristic method invented by the team.

Working together, team members came up with costumes, props and a script that was full of jokes about New York state gas prices, McDonalds happy meals and raiding tombs.

Sticking with their budget of $125, the Port Byron team managed to turn cardboard boxes into a museum, complete with ticket booth and tomb.

They also turned old sweatshirts and pieces of fabric into brightly colored costumes and headdresses.

The story of Queen Hatshapset was first told by an archeologist who got his hands on "Hieroglyphics for Dummies," then by Queen Hatshapset who projected her voice through a walkie-talkie, and then again when a man named Hakim touched a giant eye on a display that sent him images.

Each time the team used a different method of communication, they were required to give the judges a sign that represented a stage in a process of the Earth. Every time the story was retold, ninth-grader C.J. Kudla came on stage dressed as one of three Egyptian seasons: flood, harvest and drought.

"We try to stick with the same theme all the way through," Kudla said. "You have to pay attention to detail, because (the judges) do."

Most of the students on this team have been working together on Odyssey problems for the last six years.

In the past, they set their skits in places like China, Atlantis and the United Kingdom.

Five of the six years the team has been involved in the competition they have competed on a state level, but this is the first time they will be going to the world championships.

This Port Byron team is not just looking forward to the world finals because they get to travel and meet students from all over the world, including Australia, Germany and China, but also because this will give them an opportunity to pick up new ideas.

"We can come back and improve upon what we do just by seeing what other people do," team member Jeff Abraham said.

The world finals will be held at the University of Colorado in Boulder.

For the next month, the team plans to continue practicing their skit and brushing up their sets. The Port Byron team has also begun fund-raising to help pay for the shipping of their set, their hotel stay and other expenses.

"It will be an amazing experience," team member Christie Gleason said. "I think this trip will really inspire us to do this again."

Staff writer Ashley Lipsky can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 235 or ashley.lipsky@lee.net