ORONO – Some of the state’s top student problem-solvers earned the right Saturday to represent Maine at the international competition in June after winning the Destination ImagiNation Maine State Championships.

Some of the problems that teams solved during the statewide contest held on the University of Maine campus were “Mystery Loves Company,” which required teams to create – and solve – an original mystery, and another that involved designing and building balsa wood structures capable of supporting hundreds of pounds.

Other teams created works of art, entertained with improvised theatrics and stunned spectators with amazing technical effects.

“Destination ImagiNation is the best course in education,” said state tournament director Don Spencer, a teacher at Holbrook School in Holden.

“Many of Maine’s most creative problem-solvers are here to share their solutions and truly enjoy all the excitement that our state DI tournament has to offer,” Spencer said. “This program continues to thrive because of the hundreds of volunteers, several sponsors and many Maine schools and colleges.”

Destination ImagiNation, which succeeded a similar event known as Odyssey of the Mind, is a nationwide school-based program that involves hundreds of Maine students in grades three through 12 each year.

DI, run by parents, educators and volunteers, was introduced last year by a breakaway group of OM founders, who were concerned that Odyssey would not survive litigation over control of its board, intellectual rights and its tax status. After the legal battle was settled in mid-1999, OM’s nonprofit arm merged with Destination ImagiNation.

Student teams are given a set of problems to solve that combine critical thinking skills with performing arts and engineering. Judges score teams on how effectively and creatively those problems are addressed.

According to organizers, the problems are determined before the contests and each team chooses one problem, but also must solve a problem received on the day of competition.

By the end of the daylong competition, 15 elementary, middle and secondary division teams emerged first in their respective problem-solving categories. The following winning teams earned the right to represent Maine at the Global Finals in June at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville:

. Anonymously Yours – Longfellow Elementary School, Brunswick; Tripp Middle School, Turner; Buckfield Junior-Senior High School.

. Triplicity – Pettingill Elementary School, Lewiston; Tripp Middle School; Leavitt Area High School, Turner.

. Mystery Loves Company – Hall Elementary School, Portland; Waterville; Auburn Middle School; Jay High School.

. IncreDIble Tech Effects – Mary Snow School, Bangor; Hancock Grammar School; Leavitt Area High School.

. DInamic Improv – Jewett School Team B, Buxton; Biddeford Middle School; Leavitt Area High School.