This year’s MSM Odyssey of the Mind team placed 1st in their division at the State Tournament held at Hendrix College in Conway on Saturday, April 13. The achievement earns the group a spot in the 2024 World Finals May 21-24 at Iowa State University in Ames where it will compete against champions from all over the country and world.
In solving this year’s problem, Classics…Opening Night Antics, the OM team chose to portray the opening night of a play based on the swashbuckling adventure story Treasure Island. Per the problem’s stipulations, the performance featured a set malfunction, unexpected sound effect, and a team-created antic, all which leave the cast scrambling to adapt in front of an audience that included a theater critic modeled after a character from the original novel.
“Tasked with representing the coming-of-age theme of the novel, the team created a story about birds learning to migrate to their new home,” explained Monica Madey ’06, MSM English teacher and one of the team’s longtime coaches. “The team prepared by researching dozens of bird species and chose their characters based on colors, textures, and behaviors. The resulting costume designs dazzled the judges, as did the witty script and impressive musical score, complete with a handmade lyre wielded by – who else? – a lyre bird.”
Mount St. Mary Academy has participated in the international creative problem-solving program promoting teamwork, STEM and the arts for more than 20 years. Since 1999, the MSM team has regularly been awarded first or second place in regional and state competitions. This marks the 13th straight year the school’s OM team has advanced to the World Finals. Last year’s team finished 4th overall in the final competition. It placed 2nd in 2022, which is the program’s greatest achievement to date.
We wish these talented girls the best as they represent MSM and Arkansas on the international level next month: Caroline Cash ’25, Maya Johnson ’25, Sydney Kersey ’26, Annabelle Owen ’25, Harper Peairson ’27, Bee Posey ’26 and Clara Principe ’24, as well as managers Lizzy Darnold ’24 and Tessa Hendon ’26. The team is coached by Ms. Madey, Ilia Bailey McNeal ’06, and Dr. Deborah Baldwin, MSM Academy board member.
