Destination Imagination – Five teams, five trophies

Big Horn County School District Four sent five teams to State Destination Imagination (D.I.) last Saturday and every team came home with a trophy.
Two teams represented Riverside Middle School, the Five Little Rats and the Two Musketeers.
The Rats and Musketeers both competed in the category So Extra, an improvisational challenge that, Coach Laura Godfrey described as, “all about research, spontaneity and storytelling. Teams receive topics and quickly produce skits.”
The Rats won first place. The team was made up of sixth and seventh graders Dakota Butcher (7th), Charley Russell (7th), Brynn Jensen (6th), Brianna Landis (7th) and Ariel Cordova (7th).
Meanwhile, the Two Musketeers, made up of Jordan Potter (6th) and Hunter Craft (7th), took third.
Godfrey explained more about D.I.: “The Destination Imagination global community is united by a core belief that when students have the freedom to grow and collaborate without boundaries, their confidence explodes, and the world opens up to them in new ways. We enable this transformation by providing challenges rooted in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) subjects that inspire unique solutions using the creative process.”
Laura Irwin Elementary sent three teams to State: The Archaeologists, The Ferris Wheel Fixers and The Unicorn Rescue Squad.
Coach Cassie Russell said, “The Archeologists were our youngest team, having just one member who participated in DI before.  They chose the Scientific Challenge in which they had to investigate a historical invention, then conduct a scientific investigation of it.  The team decided to become Mrs. Frizzle and her class riding on the Magic School Bus to investigate how Native Americans used arrowheads. 
“They recreated the petroglyphs at Medicine Lodge State Archeological site, made 3D printed arrowheads then covered them in oobleck so they could ‘chip’ them like the Native Americans would have, and made a Native American puppet that told them the story of petroglyphs and hunting strategies, all while carving a new petroglyph in the rock.  This team worked incredibly hard.  They had to do research, create multiple backdrops and props, and make a working puppet.  Along the way, there were times they could have given up because their plans weren’t working, but they stuck it out.  The Archeologists learned a lot about teamwork and problem solving. This earned them first place in the Scientific Challenge category.”
The next team Russell spoke about were the Ferris Wheel Fixers. “The Ferris Wheel Fixers were in the fine arts division: their challenge was to take a piece of art and make it mobile.  They chose a rundown ferris wheel to transform into a working ride. They had to contact the artist and ask permission to use his photograph. He was happy to allow them to use it. Then they reconstructed the Ferris wheel and made a motor to move it. I am especially proud of how this team overcame obstacles along the way such as losing and gaining team members, and learning to work cooperatively. Their teamwork earned them first place in their division as well as first place in the Instant Challenge category.  An Instant Challenge is when the teams go into a room, are given certain objects and instructions, then have only a few minutes to create a skit around the props they are given. It is an incredibly difficult thing to do and these guys were very proud of their work.”
Russell explained about the third team: “The Unicorn Squad was in the Service division, they had to create a community service program and chose to address overcrowding of pet shelters. Part of the challenge was to create a journey for a fantasy character complete with a map and obstacles the character had to overcome.  This group of girls did an outstanding job of creating in-depth characters and adding their personalities to the skit.  They came home with a first-place trophy for their efforts.
“Destination Imagination is an amazing program for our students,” Russell added. “They get to use their creativity, ingenuity and grit to make skits that are not only entertaining, but educational. Students can stick with this program through high school and even into college. They can earn scholarships and build friendships throughout the state. I cannot emphasize enough what a positive impact DI has on the students and coaches that are involved.”
In a statement, Superintendent Jory Thompson said, “We are extremely proud of the academic competitive excellence our students consistently demonstrate. This achievement brings great pride to our school and community, highlighting the dedication of our exceptional teachers, hardworking coaches, and our group of educators who have built this strong foundation of learning. The parade celebrating their return to town was well-attended and truly showcased Rebel Pride! Congratulations to all.”