The Mount St. Mary Academy Odyssey of the Mind in Little Rock team placed second at the 2024 World Finals, besting 36 of the top teams to earn the runner-up spot. This year’s event took place May 20-24 at Iowa State University in Ames. The school’s team regularly advances to and performs well at the final competition each year. This is the second time in history it has placed second. The team was also named runner-up two years ago at the 2022 World Finals.
The OM team’s division in the 2024 World Finals included a total of 37 teams from 17 states and six countries. In solving this year’s problem, “Classics…Opening Night Antics,” the team chose to portray the opening night of a play based on the adventure story “Treasure Island.” Per the problem’s stipulations, the skit featured a set malfunction, unexpected sound effect and a team-created antic. This all leaves the cast scrambling to adapt in front of an audience that includes a theater critic modeled after a character from the original novel. In addition to performing the skit, the team also competed in an improvisational component.
“We reached this height once before in 2022, but something about this year really does feel different,” said Monica Madey, English teacher and one of the team’s coaches. “No one does music and costumes like this group. They also work exceptionally well as a team in Spontaneous Problem-Solving.”
Members include recently graduated senior Clara Principe, juniors Caroline Cash, Maya Johnson and Annabelle Owen, sophomores Sydney Kersey and Bee Posey and freshman Harper Peairson. Team managers were recently graduated senior Lizzy Darnold and sophomore Tessa Hendon. The team is also coached by English teacher Ilia Bailey McNeal and Dr. Deborah Baldwin, MSM board member.
