The Problem: Teams are to create and present a humorous performance about an original tall tale, which will include a hero or heroine who completes an incredible feat. Teams must also include a unique explanation of how things began or came to be and a surprise for the audience. Events in the skit must be accompanied by a visual weather effect that represents an emotion.

Way to go, Eagles!

Division 1 (Elementary): SBISD teams going on to state

Sherwood Elementary, 1^st place

Synopsis of the team’s solution to Problem 5: The team created a character with a unique ability, He even created a real beach in New Mexico. Throughout the solution there are several required weather events that take place with carefully timed sound and lighting effects. The five team members play at least ten characters (with the need to change makeup during the performance), keeping the audience amazed.

Team Members and their roles in the performance:

Camden Perry, grade 5: the father character. Eating fish and scratching on a tree as his second character, a bear, is very funny.
Dublin Perry, grade 3: a little girl at the beginning and the end of the show. She is also a bunny and is good at putting on bunny make-up.
Brooklyn Sutherland, grade 5: a Furry fox and a big sister. She is good at putting on her makeup and making jokes.
Luke Le, grade 5: the Explorer and the hero with a special ability that saves the day. He is also good at managing all the background noises. 
Robert Richter, grade 3, Grace Presbyterian (previously Sherwood): a wolf and a deer. He is good at being loud and serious. 

A moment when they had to improvise during the regional contest: “There was a big pause when Luke and Robert forgot to do the hail,” said Dublin. “We waited in case they would remember, but then we just kept going.”

What have you learned being part of an OM team? Several students mentioned new-found skills with power tools, such as a spiral saw and electric staple gun, used for building their set and costumes. “I’ve learned throughout the OM problem is that I need to cooperate with my team, much better than last year,” added Luke. 

One of their coaches, Cameron Perry, is proud of the ways the team builds each other up. And when things go wrong, they don’t seem to get frustrated. “This is probably the last year they will be on the same team because of their ages and going to middle school, so it was really nice to go out with a bang,” she said about their first-place win at Regionals.