Brainpower, creativity and a whole lot of teamwork led seven All Saints Catholic School students from Endicott to a second-place finish at the 'Odyssey of the Mind' World Finals in Iowa.

The international program gives students from kindergarten through college an opportunity to solve problems from building structures to acting. 

The All Saints students chose to build "a stellar hangout" where they had to create a set and perform a skit. The students, ranging in age from 7 to 11 years old, started preparing in November and worked up to 12 hours a week.

It was quite a reaction when they heard their team's name called.

"I just couldn't believe it," said Nader Sabawi, a fifth grader. "I mean, I wasn't expecting to win anything. We weren't fantasizing about winning at all. I mean, it was surprising."

More than 800 teams competed -- four from the Southern Tier.