Empower Creative Arlington Students at OM World Finals 2025
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Support Arlington Students at the Odyssey of the Mind Virginia State Championship and WORLD FINALS!!
Odyssey of the Mind is an international creative problem-solving competition, and our amazing Arlington County students took first and second place at the Virginia Odyssey of the Mind State Championships on April 26 in Newport News, VA. That has qualified them to move onto ODYSSEY OF THE MIND WORLD FINALS!
Why We're Fundraising Now:
Three Arlington Rotary Club–sponsored teams — made up of 20 students from local middle and high schools — have spent months designing, building, writing, and inventing their way toward this competition. After winning at the state championships, they are now heading to Odyssey of the Mind World Finals 2025, to be held this May at Michigan State University! In two weeks, they will present their work along with students from more than 30 other states and 10 countries, who are coming together for the competition.
We are raising funds to defray the cost of the trip, with a really tight turnaround between the April 26th state tournament, and the beginning of the May 21st international competition.
What Your Donation Supports:
- U-Haul truck rental to move large, student-made sets and engineering projects ($600 to take our projects states and about $1,300 to take our machines, sets, structures, and other presentation elements to Michigan State.)
- Lodging and travel for students, coaches, and parent chaperones — each of our teams had some travel costs to attend the state tournament, Now we are adding costs of at least $3,000 per team to travel to Michigan, including airfare. Some parents will be driving to save money. More than 50 team coaches, student team members, and parents from our broader Arlington County group will be attending World Finals, which is unprecedented representation from Arlington County schools! It is historic!!
- World Finals fees — $730 per student for meals, college dorm rooms, and tournament costs to utilize the MSU campus, which will be hosting nearly 4,000 students participating from around the United States and the world.
What These Students Have Built:
Since starting work on their long-term projects in September, these creative and determined students have spent hundreds of hours working on their project solutions. They have:
- First and foremost, built teams that work together well to solve hard problems.
- Designed robots and clever mechanical devices, that can do things like pick up objects, jump, or do a cheer routine.
- Engineered a balsa wood structure that holds 600 pounds.
- Invented musical instruments and fine-tuned set designs that change creatively.
- Sewed costumes, painted original artwork, and gained confidence in themselves as creative thinkers.
- Written imaginative, funny, and thoughtful original scripts.
Our Amazing Team Members:
Swanson MS: Nolan Russell, McKenzie Kelley, Dashiell Mantler
Hamm MS: Genevieve Holt, Ellie Schottler, Betsy Sokolow, Lia Luchenitser, Rowan Haynes, Miranda Holt
Kenmore MS: Cameron Lieberman
H-B Woodlawn: Cole Johnson, Jeffrey Burke, Sophie Miller
TJHSST: Zella Mantler, Quynh-Chi Phan
Washington-Liberty HS: Nora Johnson, Kaitlyn Nowinski, Kaitlin Madison, Emma Cai
Yorktown HS: Katie Martin
All three teams won first place in their divisions at the regional tournament in March, advancing to states. They earned top marks in the technical engineering problem at both the middle and high school levels — and they also took first place in the structural engineering challenge at the middle school level.
At states, both technical engineering problem teams took First Place again! And our middle school structural engineering team came in Second. Congratulations to all the students participating for success after nine months — yes nine months — of work.
Co-organizers (6)
Christina Headrick
Organizer
Arlington, VA
Alex Luchenitser
Co-organizer
Amber Haynes
Co-organizer
Emer Johnson
Co-organizer
Jennifer Schottler
Co-organizer