BAKER — For the first time in Baker School’s history, an Odyssey of the Mind team will compete against the world.
The OM team, coached by Fiona Lukas, returned to Baker on Monday following a state competition in Orlando, where Baker won second place in its category.
The team will compete against several countries’ teams in the OM World Finals competition, May 22-25 at Michigan State University.
Fifteen countries, including Mexico, Canada, Germany, China and Canada, usually participate in the event, according to an OM spokesperson.
Coach Fiona Lukas put the achievement in perspective.
"We will not only be representing Baker School, Okaloosa County … of course Florida, but also the United States!" she said in an email.
Baker’s team members are already excited.
"We feel really blessed because we placed second out of 19 teams," Kayleigh Patterson 17, said. "Only the top two teams get to move on to world."
"I feel really proud," Eileen Brown 17, said. "This year, we are the only team out of our whole region to go to world, and it’s just a huge honor."
However, the team must collect $6,000 by April 26 for the trip to Michigan, Lukas said. Members have planned several fundraisers, including bagging groceries and organizing car washes. The club also seeks sponsorship.
Patterson and Brown, along with OM members Nastya Bateyeba, Elizabeth Lukas, Daniel Thornton and Jaclyn Tipton, returned to Baker this week just in time for the school's open house, where principal Thomas Shipp recognized the accomplishment.
Team members presented their OM skit for faculty, parents and classmates.
Students were responsible for creating a skit — including writing the script, building the set and designing costumes — in the category"ARTchitecture: The Musical.”
The skit involved the disappearance and recovery of a historical monument, and included two musical numbers.
Sponsors wanted
Baker School’s Odyssey of the Mind team seeks sponsors for its May 22-25 Michigan trip to compete against other countries.
Interested donors can call 689-7279 or email lukasf@mail.okaloosa.k12.fl.us to contribute.
Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Matthew Brown at 850-682-6524 or matthewb@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbMatthew.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Baker Odyssey team heading to world competition May 22