About
ABOUT DESTINATION IMAGINATION:
The Destination Imagination program encourages teams of learners to have fun, take risks, focus and frame challenges while incorporating STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), the arts and service learning. Teams showcase their solutions at competitive regional, state and (possibly) global tournaments.
Each year, DI features challenges in technical, scientific, structural, fine arts, improvisational and service learning categories. It also offers an early learners challenge for those in Kindergarten through second grade. Team challenges generally require months of learning and preparing before a team is ready to present their unique solution at the tournament.
An overview of this year’s challenges can be found here:
http://www.destinationimagination.org/challenge-program/2015-16-challenge-previews
Check out a video presenting the challenges at https://youtu.be/6EyGI1JAErg
At the tournament, teams also participate in an Instant Challenge, the features of which are not known in advance. In order to be successful in an Instant Challenge, teams must use the excellent communication, collaboration and problem-solving skills that they've developed throughout the DI season.
Grand Ledge DI teams have successfully participated in creating solutions to challenges and have won prizes at regional, state and global tournaments.
ABOUT FORMING TEAMS:
Any student - in public school, private school, or home schooled - from the Grand Ledge community is welcome to participate!
Teams are generally formed in the October, and remain together throughout the DI 'season' which generally ends in April. Teams of four to seven students, often from multiple grades, come together based on a shared interest in one of the challenges. For example, a group interested in the Structural Challenge might be composed of a two fifth grade students and three fourth grade students. They all share an interest in building strong structures.
The competitive program is for students in grades 3rd-12th, with students in grades 6-8 competing at the middle school level. A non-competitive program called Rising Stars is available for those in Kindergarten through 3rd grade.
Generally, students meet once a week during the DI season of October through late February. If a team advances to the State Tournament, the team will be busy through mid-April. The Global Tournament occurs in May. We have had several teams over the years progress to Global competition, so it's possible that the 'season' will continue into May for those highly accomplished teams.
This is a big commitment and your team-mates are counting on you to attend! Please make an effort to make all team meetings - you will have a lot to accomplish before your solution is ready to be presented at the tournament!