The afternoon’s middle school competition, with 100 girls from 15 schools expected, had to be postponed and several of the registered high school teams stayed home. But teams from Highland School (Warrenton) and Loudoun Valley High School (Purcellville) joined a dozen Foxcroft entries -- there’s something to be said for boarding school on weekends like this!-- persevered. They couldn't wait to take on the biology, math, chemistry and physics challenges set up by STEM faculty and engineers from Leesburg biotech company K2M -- especially after they learned about the extra twist Foxcroft's creative Math and Science teachers had come up with.
This year’s event, titled “Mystery, Mayhem and Murder on the Mountain,” began with a short video that told the tale of Kay Daver’s murder while trying to climb to the summit of K2 with an odd assortment of companions. The video laid out possible murder weapons, feasible locations and the eight suspects -- who had names like Ally Bye, Bella Donnah and Anne Thrax -- and looked a lot like Foxcroft teachers.
The girls then became CSI detectives, working through five individual challenges, each a contest of its own as well as a help in solving the mystery. Working in teams of three and four, they analyzed a liquid mixture (labeled "Stomach contents") to figure out what the victim had eaten and with whom. They measured the density of different materials to ascertain the murder weapon.
The “Slippery Slope” trig and logic challenge, solved correctly, identified the crime scene and K2M's challenge yielded yet another clue or two. In "Base Ballast," teams had to get a helium balloon to reach the "summit" in 10 seconds exactly by adjusting its load of cotton balls. Who says math and science aren't fun?
Foxcroft’s “To Infinity and Beyond” team, comprised of Lindy '17, Jacqueline '17, Hannah '16 and Ines '16, won K2M's challenge and amassed enough points in the other events to claim the first-place trophies. Foxcroft juniors Marias, Julia, Lily S. and Victoria, aka “Big Bang,” placed second.
The Championship Trophy, however, went to Highland School thanks to the talented trio of Emily F., Addison N. and Claire O. for finishing first among the "designated" school teams. (To level a playing field where schools have varying numbers of teams participating, each school chooses one team before the competition starts. Foxcroft's designated team turned out not to be the strongest on Saturday.)
Three teams solved the murder mystery correctly: No it wasn't Col. Mustard in the Ballroom with the rope. It was "Hillary Us" -- who looked a lot like Dr. Eagen -- at Station 2 with the ice axe. A drawing among those three teams gave Foxcroft seniors Phoebe, Jolina, Amy and Stephanie top detective honors and a prize.
In the individual events, the Gorgeous Geeks (freshmen Pia S., Melanie F., Marley D. and Allegra S.) won both "Pick Your Poison" and "Slippery Slope;" Team Don't Touch My Asymptote (sophomores Emily D., Lindsay W., and Grace K., and junior Charlotte S.) was first in the Base Ballast challenge and the Atom Attackers (Millie Mc. '17, Mary Park D. '17, Emilia '16 and Patia '16) took "Murder on the Menu" honors.
A score of girls collected prizes for a combination of brains and luck: they answered brainteasers and math problems to enter raffle drawings for such goodies as a Go-Pro camera, Kate Spade handbag, aviator sunglasses and gifts cards for iTunes, Starbucks, Salamander’s spa and Panera.
Girls also had a chance to hear from five K2M employees, all young women working in a STEM field, and to see a cool video about the spinal implant innovations that they help develop and market.
Foxcroft Head of School Cathy McGehee was ebullient about the day -- truly an awesome experience pretty much guaranteed to increase girls' enthusiasm for STEM.
"Why is this important?" she asked the girls. "Because women continue to be underrepresented in these fields and we need to show the world that girls can contribute in significant way, that girls can come together and solve difficult problems. You need role models like these young women from K2M -- and you can bee role models for those whoe come behind."
Judging from the positive energy and happy buzz that filled Foxcroft’s Student/Athletic Center, where all the events took place, these young women might do just that.