The Destination Imagination (DI) program has started recruitment to prepare for the regional tournament on February 28th in Mesquite, Texas.

“Creativity is a huge emphasis in DI,” coordinator Sam Mezzell said. “There will be many teams trying to solve the same challenges, and one of the main ways to set yourself apart will be with how creatively you solve your challenge. The more out of the box, the better.”

DI helps teach kids creative problem solving skills and teamwork. Teams of five to seven kids are formed with a parent volunteer to be a team manager.

“Teamwork is the core of the program,” Mezzell said. “You and your fellow team members would need to learn to work together to form a cohesive team.”

The team challenge focuses on time-sensitive problem solving. The problems range from building things out of straws, rubber bands and paper clips to launch ping pong balls at a target, or creating props and presenting to the judges about a given scenario.

“Students who participated in the activities and tournaments provided by DI outperformed comparable students who had not participated in DI on assessments measuring creative thinking, critical thinking and collaborative problem solving,” researchers from the University of Virginia reported.

The cost to participate is $20 per team member. This covers team registration and the tournament fee for the regional tournament. If the team member is in the gifted and talented program, they can ask for a refund after the team competes at the regional tournament.

“Last year, one of our 7th grade teams advanced on to DI Globals in Knoxville, Tennessee,” gifted and talented program coordinator, Lisa Vader, said. “Our team was paired with a team from South Korea and spent the majority of the time at globals making friends and learning about their culture and the differences in education. It was just a really eye-opening experience for us all.”