Destination Imagination

Each year, Destination Imagination works with educators and industry experts to develop seven, new academic Challenges in the fields of STEM, the arts, social entrepreneurship and early learning. Students work in teams to research, design and build a solution to their preferred Challenge. Solving these challenges involves creative and critical thinking, problem solving, risk taking, project management, and perseverance. Students learn to assess problems, learn from their failures, reflect of progress, and turn their ideas into reality. District 89 students chose three challenges for competition this year. The first was a scientific challenge that involved the research of Cryptology and Stenography. Students needed to integrate their research and create two cyphers to be used to encrypt and decrypt messages during their team designed skit. The second was a fine arts challenge that involved researching the importance or meaning of a specific color. Students had to incorporate their research into a presentation which needed to include technical methods showing their color disappearing. They also created a presentation showing the possible global effects of their chosen color disappearing from the world. Lastly, one team chose the project outreach challenge where the team had to identify, design, plan, and carry out a project that addresses a real community need. Our team chose to help low income and homeless families and are currently collecting food and clothes for distribution at a later date.

Our teams did an amazing job at the Regional Competition at Hadley Jr. High in Glen Ellyn on March 4, 2017. Our scientific team not only won a spot to compete at the Affiliate Competition in DeKalb on April 8th, but also won a coveted “Spirit of DI” award for their hard work, perseverance, and problem solving abilities! Our fine arts team also won a spot to compete at Affiliate finals coming in second place against 8 teams! I am so proud of the teamwork, dedication, and determination that each team displayed as they presented their solutions. Affiliate Finals, here we come!