SUN PRAIRIE — Two student teams from Sacred Hearts School in Sun Prairie have earned a chance to compete at the Destination ImagiNation Global Finals in Knoxville, Tenn. at the end of May.
The fourth and fifth grade students will join teams from all 50 states and more than 38 countries from around the world for the Global Finals, which runs from May 23 to 26 at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
Competing at state and national levels
Hundreds of Wisconsin’s most creative kids competed on April 14 in Stevens Point showcasing their problem-solving skills, creativity, and teamwork in the State Destination ImagiNation (DI) Finals.
Four of the 10 DI teams from Sacred Hearts School qualified in March to compete at the State DI Finals, two of which then qualified for the Global Finals.
“We are so proud of all of our Destination Imagination teams,” said Kim Frederick, principal of Sacred Hearts School. “Having the teams compete at state and then to have two reach the Global Finals is really fantastic,” said Frederick.
“The students do extensive research on potential topics and practice many combinations of elements throughout the school year to prepare for the Team Challenge. They also perform an Instant Challenge that is even more unpredictable.”
Solving challenges
Destination ImagiNation is an exhilarating after-school activity in which students work in teams to solve mind-bending challenges and present their solutions at tournaments.
Teams are tested to think on their feet, work together, and devise original solutions that satisfy the requirements of the challenges. Participants gain more than just basic knowledge and skills — they learn to unleash their imaginations and take unique approaches to problem solving.
Both teams going to Tennessee participated in the Improvisation category, where they each need to act out a five-minute skit for their Team Challenge.
The teams come to competition only knowing one of the three elements of the skit, and have only five minutes to work those two new elements into a seamless story.
Students are judged on their teamwork, creativity, humor, and ability to work in all elements of their skit.
This is the fourth consecutive year that one or more Sacred Hearts teams have made it to Global Finals.
Raising funds
The cost to compete at the Global Finals is $4,500 per team. The Sacred Hearts teams that advanced to Global Finals will do extensive fundraising to raise the $9,000 needed in the next month to pay the registration fees.
The students have planned a dance, bake sale, and Sponsor-A-Student letter campaign.
For more information about the program or to make a contribution towards the cost of sending the students to Knoxville, contact Principal Kim Frederick at 608-837-8508.
More information about DI is available at http://web.idodi.org and Global Finals at www.globalfinals.org