On March 2 and 3, Edison High School students from the Muslim Student Association (MSA) competed at the New Jersey Muslim Interscholastic Tournament (MIST) on the Livingston Campus of Rutgers University. The seventeen competitors from Edison High prepared by working on their projects during early January, after which they handed them in as early submissions or on the day of the event.

MIST had a variety of competitions that students could participate in. There were six categories, with some events separated between boys and girls:

• Knowledge and Quran: Quran Memorization (Levels 1, 2, 3, & 4), Quran Recitation (No levels), Knowledge Test (1, 2, 3 & 4)
• Arts: 2D Art, 3D Art, Fashion Design, Digital Art, Photography, Culinary Arts, Scrapbooking, Extemporaneous Drawing
• Writing and Oratory: Extemporaneous Essay, Extemporaneous Speaking, Spoken Word, Original Oratory, Poetry Literature, Prepared Essay, Short Fiction
• Brackets: Debate (2v2, Parliamentary Style), Improv, MIST Bowl, Math Olympics
• Group Projects: Business Venture, Short Film, Science Fair, Social Media, Humanitarian Service, Nasheed
• Sports and Esports: Basketball, Soccer, Volleyball, Rocket League (3v3), Super Smash Bros. (1v1), and Chess

The first day of the competition was from 8:15 a.m. to 9 p.m. Students checked in and then made their way to the Student Center for the opening ceremony and spirit session. Edison High displayed their school spirit by holding up posters, wearing red, and chanting, “E-H-S, we finesse, we are here to do our best!” The school was awarded first place for “Best Chant.”

“As president, it was a feat to try and get everyone excited for MIST,” said Co-President of MSA, Doha Afifi ‘24. “I was very excited to see the school spirit alive and well, especially when it came down to inter-school rivalries. Although our numbers weren’t big, we won big.”

“I was surprised that we won because we were one of the smallest schools, but we were the loudest and most spirited,” said Treasurer of MSA, Saja Omar ‘25. “Quality over quantity.”

The events that took place on day one were from the Arts and the Brackets categories. Sports and esports events already took place a few weeks before, as there was not enough time during the two days to run both. Those who did not have an event during certain times would attend Islamic-based workshops.

On the second day, the competition was from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Knowledge and Quran events, group project events, and finals for the Brackets category were carried out. After all of the competitions were over, everyone traveled to the Nicholas Music Center for the awards ceremony.

“It was an experience to remember,” said Co-President of MSA, Taha Shaikh ‘24.

Throughout both days, three prayers were led: Dhuhr, Asr, and Maghrib. These are three out of five prayers that Muslims do every day.

“It was a wonderful experience, praying with everyone and the spirit that was shared among everyone,” said Moustafa Abdelaal ‘25.

In MIST, there are two levels of competition: regionals and nationals. Placing within the top three at regionals, winners will be able to compete at nationals. Nine competitors from Edison High have qualified for nationals.

Winners of MIST NJ from Edison High:

• Zunairah Khan ‘24: 1st place, Short Fiction
• Shezab Khan ‘26: 1st place, Poetry
• Manoor Abbasi ‘25: 2nd place, Basketball
• Manoor Abbasi ‘25, Faiza Ahmed ‘25, Robil Chaudhary ‘24, Zunairah Khan ‘24, Haddeel Omar ‘27, and Hareem Sohail ‘25 (Edison Empowered): 2nd place, Humanitarian Service
• Abdullah Mustensir ‘27: 3rd place, Quran Memorization
• Zainab Gul ‘27: 3rd place, Girls Nasheed

Those individuals who placed within the top three for their events were awarded a trophy, and the winning groups received medals for each competitor involved.

“For my first competition, short fiction, it was absolutely shocking, competing against so many schools, I didn’t believe the name on the screen was mine,” said Vice President of MSA, Zunairah Khan. “For my second competition, Humanitarian Service, I am so proud of my team as the team captain.”

Many of the competitors felt lucky to have a community by their side.

“It feels very rewarding to win two events as there was a lot of hard work behind the scenes, and it felt good to celebrate with my team and school community,” said Abbasi.

“Winning MIST was a really big achievement not only for me but for the whole Edison group,” said Mustensir. “Quran memorization is a passion of mine and I really enjoy it. MIST, overall, was enjoyable and taught me many things throughout the weekend.”

Throughout the two days of MIST, the competitors had a great time as they represented Edison High School. Seniors will cherish this experience as they move on to college, and many of the non-seniors hope to compete again next year.