Muslim Interscholastic Tournament

Family: Reconnecting our Hearts to Home

“The best of you are those who are best to their families.”
- Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)

Sometimes the stories of our homes are not perfect. Some of us can connect well with strangers yet have distant relationships with our fathers. We can fall in love with movie stars but resent our own mothers. We can be polite all day at school and still come home angry and abusive. It’s as though we’ve reserved our best for everywhere but home–as though the role of family in our lives has been outsourced to others.

“The role of family.” What does this phrase even mean? Throughout history and between lands, a family’s role has been defined differently, yet somehow its concept remains universal and valuable. Why? What exactly do we expect family to be for us? Some say family is meant to provide us a place to call home and a place to belong. Others may think it is more like a nursery, where we grow into adults and then go our separate ways. Some only turn to family in times of need, and yet others consider it a foundational building block of society. What do you think are the ideals of family, and why? What do different cultures and religions have to say on the topic, and how do their ideas compare or contrast with those of Islam?

Having considered these ideals, what are our families really like? Who do we consider to be family, and what is our relationship with these family members? Do they have rights upon us? Do we honor them? Do we have responsibilities towards them? Do we uphold them? Are there any differences between our ideals and our realities? If so, what can we do to bridge those gaps?

We challenge you to take a deeper look into the North American Muslim community and analyze the various concepts surrounding this theme. Be creative! Projects and submissions with the most creativity and insight will receive the highest points. Remember, this theme will encompass all of the MIST competitions and workshops at both the regional and national levels. If you have any questions regarding this theme or anything else MIST-related, please do not hesitate to contact us!

Overall Region
1. Washington DC
2. Atlanta
3. New York
4. Chicago
5. Houston
6. Toronto
7. Philadelphia
8. Detroit

Overall Individual
1. Naeem Baig – Al-Huda High School (Washington DC)
2. Zahra Saad – Crescent School (New York)
3. Fatimah Waseem – Springbrook High School (Washington DC)
4. Sadia Naseem – Eleanor Roosevelt High School (Washington DC)
5. Ayesha Saad – Crescent School (New York)
6. Zurana Taluckder – Eleanor Roosevelt High School (Washington DC)
6. Ilham Diwani – Al-Huda High School (Washington DC)
6. Ferdos Hashem – Clarkston High School (Atlanta)
6. Nishath Rahman – The Bronx High School Of Science (New York)
10. Talha Ghazi – International Academy (Detroit)

Category I: Knowledge and Quran
Knowledge Test 1
1. Najeah Okashah – Panama City Advanced School (Atlanta)
2. Shahrazad Hired – Al-Huda High School (Washington DC)
3. Niyaz Arif – Stuyvesant High School (New York)
4. Atallah Muhammad – Langston Hughes High School (Atlanta)
5. Cardiff Andana – Phelps Career High School (Washington DC)

Knowledge Test 2
1. Ali Waseem – Springbrook High School (Washington DC)
2. Rabeea Ahmad – Milton High School (Atlanta)
3. Mohammad Taha Qadri – Valley Stream North High School (New York)
4. Mohammad Alkadah – Panama City Advanced School (Atlanta)
5. Mohammed Okashah – Panama City Advanced School (Atlanta)

Knowledge Test 3
1. Hajur El-Haggan – Al-Huda High School (Washington DC)
2. Amina S. Thomas – Al-Huda High School (Washington DC)
3. Jauhara Ferguson – Langston Hughes High School (Atlanta)

Knowledge Test 4
1. Reshmina Gilani – Rutherford High School (Atlanta)
2. Danial Abbasi – Kempner High School (Houston)
3. Mahnoor Samana – Austin High School (Houston)
4. Fahmida Sarmin – Central High School (Philadelphia)

Brothers Quran Memorization
1. Saim Asif – Crescent School (New York)
2. Talha Ghazi – International Academy (Detroit)
3. Sameer Ali – Al-Huda High School (Washington DC)
4. Rakeen Rafiqur-Rahman Mahmud – Thomas S. Wootton High School (Washington DC)
5. Mohamed Mahitula – Clarkston High School (Atlanta)

Sisters Quran Memorization
1. Ferdos Hashem – Clarkston High School (Atlanta)
2. Reem Al-Atassi – Grayson High School (Atlanta)
3. Dania Shoukfeh – James Madison Memorial High School (Chicago)
4. Ilham Diwani – Al-Huda High School (Washington DC)
5. Zeynab Hassan – Clarkston High School (Atlanta)

Tafseer Test
1. Ayesha Saad – Crescent School (New York)
2. Zahra Saad – Crescent School (New York)
3. Maleeha Babar – Panama City Advanced School (Atlanta)
4. Fatimah Waseem – Springbrook High School (Washington DC)
5. Musarrat Haque – Eleanor Roosevelt High School (Washington DC)

Brothers Quran Recitation (Tajweed)
1. Abdullah Ahmad – Herndon High School (Washington DC)
2. Besher Kashlan – International Academy (Detroit)
3. Naeem Baig – Al-Huda High School (Washington DC)
4. Usman Qadri – Smithsburg High School (Washington DC)
5. Muhtasham Sifaat – The Bronx High School Of Science (New York)

Sisters Quran Recitation (Tajweed)
1. Zaynab Abidogun – Iman Academy Southwest (Houston)
2. Sadiya Dhanani – The Lovett School (Atlanta)
3. Rozana Rahman – Nur-ul-Iman (Philadelphia)
4. Sharifa Yusuf – Clarkston High School (Atlanta)
5. Sharika Maliha – North Penn High School (Philadelphia)

Category II: Arts
2D Art
1. Fatimah Waseem – Springbrook High School (Washington DC)
2. Raadiyah C. Verity – Islamic Society of Central New York (New York)
3. Attiya Latif – Smithsburg High School (Washington DC)
4. Fahmida Sarmin – Central High School (Philadelphia)
5. Sadia Ali – Clarkston High School (Atlanta)

3D Art
1. Talha Ghazi – International Academy (Detroit)
2. Anaam Khan – Howard High School (Washington DC)
3. Sana Javed – Collins Hill High School (Atlanta)
4. Ayat Tamimi – Maryville High School (Atlanta)
5. Syed Faizuddin – College Preparatory School of America (Chicago)

Digital Art
1. Bana Zayyad – Aqsa School (Chicago)
2. Shafquat Arefeen – Islamic Foundation (Toronto)
3. Mohamed Idiris – Montgomery Blair High School (Washington DC)
4. Zeshawn O. Khan – Milton High School (Atlanta)
5. Aatir Saleem – Clarkston High School (Atlanta)

Photography
1. Sadia Naseem – Eleanor Roosevelt High School (Washington DC)
2. Zahra Saad – Crescent School (New York)
3. Mayisha Sharif – North Penn High School (Philadelphia)
4. Dhool Siad –
5. Jenine Omari – Maryville High School (Atlanta)

Fashion Design
1. Khayriyyah Ramadan – W. D. Mohammed High School (Atlanta)
2. Mustabin Hossain – Al-Huda High School (Washington DC)
3. Najeah Okashah – Panama City Advanced School (Atlanta)
4. Haseena Abdur-Rahman – Prince George High School (Washington DC)
5. Ayesha Saad – Crescent School (New York)

Web Design
1. Al-Huda High School (Washington DC)
2. Springbrook High School (Washington DC)
3. Eleanor Roosevelt High School (Washington DC)
4. Montgomery Blair High School (Washington DC)
5. Clarkston High School (Atlanta)

Category III: Writing and Oratory
Children’s Book
1. Aliya Duamni – Iman Academy Southwest (Houston)
2. Mohamed Idiris – Montgomery Blair High School (Washington DC)
3. Nishi Sarkar – North Penn High School (Philadelphia)
4. Samira Tamimi – Maryville High School (Atlanta)

Extemporaneous Essay
1. Reem Al-Atassi – Grayson High School (Atlanta)
2. Zahra Saad – Crescent School (New York)
3. Mo’az Kassar – Naperville North High School (Chicago)
4. Zurana Taluckder – Eleanor Roosevelt High School (Washington DC)
5. Mohammad Nafiz Hossain – Montgomery Blair High School (Washington DC)

Prepared Essay
1. Rozana Rahman – Nur-ul-Iman (Philadelphia)
2. Fatimah Waseem – Springbrook High School (Washington DC)
3. Zakariya Adam Salhan – Al-Huda High School (Washington DC)
4. Rabeea Ahmad – Milton High School (Atlanta)
5. Yaman Abdulhak – International Academy (Detroit)

Extemporaneous Speaking
1. Sadia Ali – Clarkston High School (Atlanta)
2. Abdul Rahman Latif – Smithsburg High School (Washington DC)
3. Saaliha Khadim – Islamic Foundation (Toronto)
4. Zubair Asgar – College Preparatory School of America (Chicago)
5. Irfaan Khalid – Plainfield North High School (Chicago)

Original Oratory
1. Nazifa Mim – Cypress Falls High School (Houston)
2. Ilham Diwani – Al-Huda High School (Washington DC)
3. Halima Kachhvi – David & Mary Thomson Collegiate Institute (Toronto)
4. Talha Ghazi – International Academy (Detroit)
5. Nura LeBlanc – Clear Lake High School (Houston)

Poetry
1. Sadia Naseem – Eleanor Roosevelt High School (Washington DC)
2. Souhayl Diwani – Montgomery Blair High School (Washington DC)
3. Ayesha Saad – Crescent School (New York)
4. Anika Sikder – Eleanor Roosevelt High School (Washington DC)
5. Rabiyyah Joseph – Heritage High School (Atlanta)

Short Fiction
1. Muhtasham Sifaat – The Bronx High School Of Science (New York)
2. Aisha Alsliman – College Preparatory School of America (Chicago)
3. Sana Javed – Collins Hill High School (Atlanta)
4. Fahmida Sarmin – Central High School (Philadelphia)
5. Jauhara Ferguson – Langston Hughes High School (Atlanta)

Spoken Word
1. Naeem Baig – Al-Huda High School (Washington DC)
2. Mahnoor Samana – Austin High School (Houston)
3. Ferdos Hashem – Clarkston High School (Atlanta)
4. Sadiyah Bashir – Eleanor Roosevelt High School (Washington DC)
5. Amina Muse – Clarkston High School (Atlanta)

Category IV: Bracket Competitions
Brothers Basketball
1. Chicago
2. New York
3. Washington DC
4. W. D. Mohammed High School (Atlanta)
5. Clarkston High School (Atlanta) & The Woodlands Secondary School (Toronto)

Sisters Basketball
1. Muslim Youth of Atlanta (Atlanta)
2. Panama City Advanced School & Rutherford High School (Atlanta)
3. New York & Chicago & Houston
4. Washington DC

Debate
1. Faraz Ahsan – Eleanor Roosevelt High School (Washington DC)
2. Aminah Sallam – Stuyvesant High School (New York)
3. Joud Hassan – Maryville High School (Atlanta)
4. Arjumand Fatima – College Preparatory School of America (Chicago)
5. Muhtasham Sifaat – The Bronx High School Of Science (New York)

Math Olympics
1. Zurana Taluckder – Eleanor Roosevelt High School (Washington DC)
2. Mohammad Taha Qadri – Valley Stream North High School (New York)
3. Sadiya Dhanani – The Lovett School (Atlanta)
4. Jalil Muhammad – McLean High School (Washington DC)
5. Bana Zayyad – Aqsa School (Chicago)

MIST Bowl
1. Crescent School (New York)
2. The Bronx High School Of Science / Stuyvesant High School (New York)
3. Smithsburg High School (Washington DC)
4. Eleanor Roosevelt High School (Washington DC)
5. Panama City Advanced School (Atlanta)

Category V: Group Projects
Business Venture
1. Al-Huda High School (Washington DC)
2. Eleanor Roosevelt High School (Washington DC)
3. Naperville North High School (Chicago)

Community Service
1. W. D. Mohammed High School (Atlanta)
2. Clarkston High School (Atlanta)
3. Eleanor Roosevelt High School (Washington DC)
4. Al-Huda High School (Washington DC)
5. Springbrook High School (Washington DC)

Brothers Improv
1. The Woodlands Secondary School (Toronto)
2. Al-Huda High School (Washington DC)
3. Montgomery Blair High School (Washington DC)
4. College Preparatory School of America (Chicago)
5. Kempner High School (Houston)

Sisters Improv
1. Al-Huda High School (Washington DC)
2. Prince George High School (Washington DC)
3. Milton High School (Atlanta)
4. Eleanor Roosevelt High School (Washington DC)
5. Collins Hill High School (Atlanta)

Brothers Nasheed/Rap
1. Al-Huda High School (Washington DC)
2. Phelps Career High School (Washington DC)
3. Islamic Foundation School (Toronto)
4. Paint Branch High School (Washington DC)
5. Clarkston High School (Atlanta)

Sisters Nasheed/Rap
1. Clarkston High School (Atlanta)
2. Al-Huda High School (Washington DC)
3. Muslim Youth of Atlanta Homeschool (Atlanta)
4. Islamic Foundation (Toronto)
5. Montgomery Blair High School (Washington DC)

Newsletter
1. Springbrook High School (Washington DC)
2. Al-Huda High School (Washington DC)
3. Eleanor Roosevelt High School (Washington DC)
4. Kempner High School (Houston)
5. Milton High School (Atlanta)

Research Methods
1. Eleanor Roosevelt High School (Washington DC)
2. Clarkston High School (Atlanta)

Scrapbook
1. The Bronx High School Of Science (New York)
2. Eleanor Roosevelt High School (Washington DC)
3. Kempner High School (Houston)
4. College Preparatory School of America (Chicago)
5. Islamic Foundation (Toronto)

Short Film
1. Al-Huda High School (Washington DC)
2. Ancaster High School (Toronto)
3. Stuyvesant High School (New York)
4. Clarkston High School (Atlanta)
5. The Bronx High School Of Science (New York)

Updates
6/20: Competition topics have been updated (below)!
6/20: Transportation section has been added!
6/23: Competition registration is now closed! You may still register as a guest at any time.
7/7: Program section updated below!

–

Please contact us if you have any questions.

Registration
To register as a guest, please click here.
To register as a volunteer, please click here.
To judge any competitions at Nationals, apply here.
To become a donor, please check our donor packages.

Fees
Competition registration is now closed! You may still register as a guest at any time.

Transportation
For people who will be flying in from out of town and who need help with transportation, please email your flight itineraries to atlanta@getmistified.com.

Everyone arriving from the airport on Friday morning will be able to use MARTA to get to our arrival location with a $2.50 one-way pass.

Free transportation is being provided for anyone who needs a ride to the field trips on Friday and Saturday night, with a return trip back to the designated hotels.

Program
Everyone should plan to arrive by 12:00 PM (noon) on Friday, July 8, 2011.
Bring: All competition material & Student Signature Sheets.
Arts competitions submissions will be accepted during orientations on Saturday morning.

Students not competing in Basketball may plan to arrive by 8:00am on Saturday, as long as they realize they’ll be missing out on all the awesomeness we’ve got planned for Friday.

Meals included with registration:
– Friday Lunch
– Friday Dinner
– Saturday Lunch
– Saturday Dinner
– Sunday Lunch

Friday, July 8, 2011
Start Time: 12:00 PM (noon)
Dress: Wear mosque-appropriate attire and bring sports-attire separately
Bring: All competition material & Student Signature Sheets.
Location: W.D. Mohammed High School
     735 Fayetteville Road
     Atlanta, GA 30316

Friday Prayer (please wear mosque-appropriate attire)
Start Time: 2:00 PM
Location: Atlanta Masjid of Al-Islam
     560 Fayetteville Rd SE
     Atlanta, GA 30316

Basketball (please bring sports attire separately)
Start Time: 3:30 PM
Location: W.D. Mohammed High School
     Shareef Abdur-Rahim Gymnasium
     735 Fayetteville Road
     Atlanta, GA 30316

Field Trip
Time: 8:00 – 10:00 PM
Location: Centennial Olympic Park
     146 Centennial Olympic Park Dr NW
     Atlanta, GA 30303

Saturday, July 9, 2011
Start Time: 8:00 AM
Dress: Business casual
All Arts and any remaining competition submissions must be submitted by 9:00 AM.

Venue: Kennesaw State University
     College of Humanities and Social Sciences
     1000 Chastain Road
     Kennesaw, Georgia 30144

Field Trip (please wear mosque-appropriate attire)
Time: 8:00 PM – 12:00 AM
Location: Al-Farooq Masjid of Atlanta
     442 14th Street NW
     Atlanta, GA 30318

Sunday, July 10, 2011
Start Time: 8:00 AM
Dress: Modestly formal

Venue: Kennesaw State University
     College of Humanities and Social Sciences
     1000 Chastain Road
     Kennesaw, Georgia 30144

Awards Ceremony
Time: 3:00 – 6:00 PM
Location: Kennesaw State University
     Carmichael Student Center – University Rooms A-E
     1000 Chastain Road
     Kennesaw, Georgia 30144

Hotel
To make reservations, all you have to do is call the hotel, ask for the MIST group rate, and provide a credit card with your contact information.

Quality Inn
750 Cobb Place Blvd NW
Kennesaw, GA 30144
770-419-1530

Standard Double (4-people/room) @ $69.99 + tax

Red Roof Inn Atlanta Kennesaw
520 Roberts Ct Northwest
Kennesaw, GA 30144
770-429-0323

Standard Double (4-people/room) @ $39.99 + tax = $45.59/night
Deluxe Double (4-people/room with microwave & fridge) @ $48.99 + tax = $55.85/night

Qualifying Rules
If you placed top five in any individual competition at Regionals, you are automatically qualified to compete at Nationals. Individuals may only compete in the competitions in which they qualify.

Group projects work a little differently (Web Design, MIST Bowl, and Group Projects). If your school qualified by placing top five in these competitions, your team may send any competitor to represent your school in these competitions at Nationals, as long as each student was registered as a competitor on your team at an official 2011 MIST Regional.

For Basketball, only individuals who competed with teams that placed top three may register for Nationals in Basketball. No replacements allowed.

Nationals Competitions
The theme for Nationals is the same as Regionals. All rules and topics will be the same, except for the competitions listed below:
Community Service – Students may submit any project related to the theme. See the updated ballot here.
Debate – See the topics here.

All work submitted for Regionals may be resubmitted for Nationals, either as-is, in a modified state, or entirely new. As always, it must represent the original work of the competitors. Any outside help/inspiration used must be given proper credit and citation.

All competition submissions must be turned in by or during orientations on Friday morning of MIST weekend (Arts Category competition submissions must be turned in by 9:00 AM on Saturday). If you are coming late, please contact us.

Qualifying Lists
Toronto
Boston
Washington DC
Atlanta
Philadelphia
Houston
New York
Chicago
Detroit
Irvine

Toronto: March 18-20, 2011
Boston: March 26-27, 2011
Washington DC: April 1-3, 2011
Atlanta: April 8-10, 2011
Philadelphia: April 9-10, 2011
Houston: April 22-24, 2011
New York: May 20-22, 2011
Chicago: May 20-22, 2011
Detroit: May 21-22, 2011
Irvine: May 21-22, 2011

 
Update #1: See “Corrections” section (below).
Update #2: MIST Bowl Packets uploaded.
Update #3: Debate Topics and Prepared Prompts posted.
Update #4: Here’s a helpful competition sign-up sheet for your team: click here to download.
(Spoken Word also has two spots under Category III: Writing & Oratory.)
Update #5: Corrections section updated.
Update #6: The Short Film Entry Form can be found here.
Update #7: The updated Community Service ballot can be found here.
–
 
Click the image to download your copy today!

   Corrections:

1. Web Design (P. 29, Rule #8) – 750 words maximum
2. Basketball – The general rule remains that a student may only compete in one competition per category, but Basketball is the exception. You may compete in one of the other three bracket competitions (Math Olympics, Debate, or MIST Bowl) and Basketball. Just remember that if you compete in Basketball, you must be signed up for and participate in at least one other competition (from any category).
3. Tafseer Test & MIST Bowl Tafseer Packet (p. 20) – The translation for verse 17 of Surah Balad (Chapter 90) should read: “Then he became one of those who believed, and recommended one another to perseverance and patience, and (also) recommended one another to piety and compassion.”
4. The Short Film Entry Form can be found here.
5. Tafseer Test (P. 9, Rule #6) – “Open-book” means you are allowed to have an English translation of the Quran (without commentary) during the test. No other supplemental material is allowed.
6. Community Service – Updated ballot can be found here.

If you find any more corrections that need to be made to the rule book, or if you’d like to make any suggestions, please submit your feedback at: http://www.getmistified.com/competitions/feedback/

   Topics:

This year’s Knowledge Test books are:
1. “Prince among Slaves” by Terry Alford
2. “Green Deen: What Islam Teaches about Protecting the Planet” by Ibrahim Abdul-Matin
3. “Islam and the Blackamerican: Looking toward the Third Resurrection” by Sherman A. Jackson
4. “Western Muslims and the Future of Islam” by Tariq Ramadan

This year’s MIST Bowl topics are:
Topic I: Tafseer
Topic II: Islamic Spain (There is no packet for this category. All questions will come from the “Cities of Light: The Rise & Fall of Islamic Spain” documentary)
Topic III: Historic Sites
Topic IV: Muslims in North America
Topic V: Loyal Companions
Topic VI: Current Events, starting January 1st, 2011 (no packet)

Other competitions that require competition material:
Debate
Tafseer Test
Prepared Essay
Prepared Oratory

FROM: Shazia Siddiqi, MIST Executive Director

TO: All MIST Regional Volunteers and Participants

SUBJECT: Exciting New Changes for 2011!

Assalaamo ‘alaikum!

This past year has been one of many changes. By the grace of God, MIST has had its second annual organizer’s summit, this year in Boston, to make progress on a key number of issues that concern all regions. We hope you are as excited about some of the changes as we are! The following message contains just the beginning of the changes you can expect to see this coming year, so stay tuned and hold on tight. You’re about to get MISTified 2k11 style.

MIST Chicago!
Yep, we’ve grown by one additional city this year. If you or anyone you know live in the Chicagoland area (or anywhere nearby), make sure to give them a heads up so they don’t miss out on one of the best things to hit Illinois since sliced bread! Simply visit getmistified.com/chicago to find out how to get involved.

New Competition Changes
Not only do we have a fancy new Official 2k11 MIST Rule Book, our competitions are (finally) refreshed and our ballots are completely revised!

If you’re not satisfied with any of the changes or would like to suggest more changes, please fill out our new Competition Suggestion Form at: http://www.getmistified.com/competitions/feedback/

In the Rule Book, you will notice that we have the following new competitions this year:
• Improv
• Business Venture
• Poetry *Redesigned*
• Spoken Word
• Community Service *Redesigned*
• Research Methods (a combination of Science Fair and Research Project)

We also have new submission deadlines for many of our competitions:
• Short Fiction: 2 weeks before tournament
• Prepared Essay: 2 weeks before tournament
• Poetry: 2 weeks before tournament
• Short Film: 2 weeks before tournament
• Community Service: 250 word abstract 4 weeks before tournament
• Research Methods: 250 word abstract 4 weeks before tournament

The scoring system has also changed. Here’s how competition points are scored now:
1st Place: 10 points
2nd Place: 8 points
3rd Place: 6 points
4th Place: 4 points
5th Place: 2 points
6th Place and below: 0 points
No show: -2 for normal competitions, -4 for bracket competitions

In case you’re not familiar with how points are scored, here’s a brief explanation: Every competitor’s scores are aggregated from all their competitions to an Overall Individual score, and the same goes for all the members of the team towards their Overall Team score. The only trick is, in group competitions, the points are applied once to each student and only once to the team (as opposed to per person). For example, if you have a 3-person MIST Bowl team win 1st Place, all three people will see their score go up by 10 points towards their Overall Individual score, and the team’s score will go up by 10 points towards their Overall Team score. In terms of no shows, if the team was actually supposed to be a 4-person team and one person didn’t show up, the score for the team remains unaffected. It’s only if the entire team decides to drop out of a group competition that their team points will be deducted. However, in an individual bracket competition like Debate, a no-show would mean 4 points will be deducted from both the individual and the team scores.

Specific Competition Updates
This year’s Poetry competition is now submission only, without interviews nor performances. If you want to perform your piece at MIST, try competing in the new Spoken Word competition.

Basketball will now allow the top three teams from each Region to compete together as one team at Nationals.

This year’s Community Service project is to bring the most canned food items to MIST for donation to a local food bank. To win, your team has to bring the most canned food by weight. Your team will still need to submit an abstract detailing how you are trying to reach your goal in creative ways and make an impact on your community in the process. The region that brings in the most canned food from all their teams at Regionals will be recognized at Nationals.

New Team Rules
MIST is a competition for high school teams to compete with one another in an interscholastic fashion. In the past in a couple of regions, exceptions have been made on a local level for some students to join other high schools to compete (e.g. for teams that were far from their nearest regional tournament, etc.), but we have made a final national decision, binding on all regions, to disallow students from participating in MIST on the same team as students from other high schools. This decision comes after great deliberation, so please hear us out.

For one thing, MIST is about outreach. Many times, students feel like joining a team from another high school because they have only a few other people from their own school willing to join MIST, and they feel like they could never stack up against bigger teams. To assuage these concerns, certain regions have tried accounting for the presence of large teams by artificially imposing caps on team sizes or dividing team scores by the number of students on the team. In the end however, we have decided against the use of any methods to incentivize the creation of small teams because it may prevent students from being as inclusive and inviting as we’d like them to be towards others when forming their teams.

We do recognize that sometimes students who make a sincere effort to recruit exclusively from their own school still end up with a small team and feel very discouraged when they compare themselves to the Islamic schools who can easily bring in plenty of competitors. The question is: can smaller teams really match up against larger ones? The answer: absolutely!

Small teams have been notorious at winning many of the more prestigious individual competitions. One year in DC, a three-person team took the MIST Bowl competition completely by storm. Another time in Houston, someone who originally wanted to just register for MIST by herself ended up bringing a handful of other students so she could have a team, and lo and behold, her team ended up being the one that could boast of bringing the region’s Overall Individual Competitor to compete that year! Where spots for certain competitions usually get taken up quickly in larger teams, smaller teams actually allow individuals to get involved in more competitions on an individual level.

If you’re still not satisfied with your odds, recruit! Remember, MIST does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, or gender, so you should allow everyone from your school to feel welcome to attend! There was one year in Atlanta where a team wanted to join with another high school for the sake of “unity” (i.e. fear that they might end up with a small team), and when their request to join teams was denied, they went back to their school to recruit and ended up with a team of over 40 students, making it the largest team at Regionals that year. And not just that, it was a public school to boot!

The most important point to remember is that during MIST, you are not going to be forced to mingle only with your own team mates. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to have fun with all your buddies from other schools at the event. And in some competitions (such as Short Film, etc.), we even encourage you to collaborate with other teams when you’re preparing for MIST. We would love to build a community that embraces the concept of gracious professionalism at MIST.

From a homeschool? Don’t worry, you can still form a team with other home-schooled students or with your local high school, or you can simply compete as a one-person team if you like (but you’ll still need a coach).

From far away? No worries! Simply register with your own high school team, but arrange to carpool/bus in together. You can share coaches, and heck, we won’t even stop you from wearing the same spirit wear (if that’s really what you want to do), but your teams just have to register separately. It shouldn’t be that difficult, but please contact your local regional headquarters if there’s anything we can do to help.

Oh, and we are making one exception: the only competition that teams will be allowed to compete in on the same side with members from other high schools is Basketball, since you need at least 5 people to play (all other competitions only require a minimum of one or two students).

MIST Nationals 2k11 in Atlanta
Prepare yourself to get MISTified with some good ol’ fashioned southern hospitality. Dates and details are scheduled to be announced soon, so stay tuned!