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District sends record 11 Destination Imagination teams to state

District sends record 11 Destination Imagination teams to state

Northwest ISD will send a record-setting 11 Destination Imagination teams to the state tournament following a strong showing at the recent Greater Fort Worth Regional Tournament on February 25.

Destination Imagination cultivates students’ creativity, courage, and curiosity through open-ended academic challenges in the fields of STEM, fine arts and service learning. Team members learn patience, flexibility, persistence, ethics, respect for others and their ideas, and the collaborative problem-solving process. This year, 67 teams represented Northwest ISD at the regional level, including elementary, middle and high school students.

The tournament is composed of a Central Challenge, which the team has worked on since October, and an Instant Challenge. The two scores are combined and teams are ranked, 1st through 6th place within their challenge and age group. Forty-eight NISD teams medaled at this year’s tournament. Schools with teams that placed include Medlin, Tidwell, Adams, Wilson, Byron Nelson, Northwest, Lakeview, Roanoke, JC Thompson, Beck, Lance Thompson, Granger, Lizzie Curtis, Seven Hills, Schluter, Hughes, Sendera Ranch, and Cox.

A total of 48 district teams earned a medal, with 11 advancing to the Lone Star Finals Tournament on March 25 in Arlington, Texas. Four high school teams have advanced to the state tournament: Fire Breathing Rubber Ducks (Byron Nelson), Oompa Loompas (Byron Nelson), Ultimate Skeleton Dragons (Northwest), and the Hexanauts (Byron Nelson). Both the Ultimate Skeleton Dragons and the Hexanauts competed and placed in two different team challenges. Two teams from Medlin have advanced to Lone Star Finals: Wait . . . What?? and Ms. Mandy’s Story. The Flippin’ Chickens from Wilson and Petrified Pickles from Adams will also be competing at the state level. The Wabbits from Lakeview and Just Here for the Snacks from J.C. Thompson are the advancing elementary teams.

Additionally, the Banana Bunches from Adams, Oompa Loompas and Fire Breathing Rubber Ducks from Byron Nelson, Ms. Mandy's Story and Your Worse Nightmare from Medlin, and the Ultimate Skeleton Dragons from Northwest earned the highest Instant Challenge score in their division. Elementary teams earning high IC include Dumpster Fire from JC Thompson and Rockin’ Rangers from Roanoke.

The GFW Regional Tournament included the Rising Stars Challenge as well. Rising Stars is the non-competitive division for kindergarten through second grade students. Northwest ISD had twenty-two teams participate this year and they all celebrated with time in the Ta Da Room.

Awards & Recognitions

The following students earned the Magellan Award – Kurt Ippolitto, William Thornell, Riley Tucciarone, and Ayden Lalani. The Magellan Award is awarded to students who participate in all six challenges over the course of their DI career. The award encourages team members to try new and different ideas, to explore different skills, to think outside the box – or to convert the box into something else entirely. Named after Ferdinand Magellan, the first person to circumnavigate the globe, it reflects the continued striving to reach the stars – and even beyond to the galaxies of the Magellanic Clouds. 

Byron Nelson senior Ryder Fine was awarded both The Jo Williams Scholarship and Karen Crawford Memorial Scholarship from the GFW DI Regional Board.

The Walls That May Fall from Kay Granger Elementary were awarded the Spirit of DI award. This award is given to a team who goes out of their way to help others, often by making sacrifices. These members of our community demonstrate outstanding and extraordinary levels of sportsmanship, volunteerism and spirit.

Ms. Mandy's Story from Medlin were given the Renaissance Award which recognizes those who demonstrate extraordinary amounts of effort and preparation in their solutions or outstanding skill in engineering, design or performance. While the destination is creativity, these fellow travelers make the journey itself memorable.

For more information on Destination Imagination, visit www.idodi.org. For details on the State Tournament, visit www.texasdi.org. Looking for some summer fun? Join us at Pike MS for our Creative Problem Solving Camp the week of June 26.

Campus

Team Name

Level

Results

Awards

State Results

Challenge A

Lakeview

The Wabbits

Elementary

2nd

 

Going to State

Roanoke

Rockin' Rangers

Elementary

3rd

High IC

 

JCT

Smokey Bricksters

Elementary

4th

   

Beck

Thunderbirds

Elementary

5th

   

Challenge B

JCT

Just Here for the Snacks!

Elementary

2nd

 

Going to State

Lance

Masters of Creativity

Elementary

3rd

 

 

Adams

 

The Dagalofiperema Experience

Middle

3rd

 

 

BNHS

Cumberland Crumblers

Secondary

2nd

   

NHS

Jeradillo

Secondary

3rd

   

Challenge C

Granger

The Walls That May Fall

Elementary

3rd

Spirit of DI

 

Curtis

Atychiphobia

Elementary

5th

 

 

Medlin

Ms. Mandy's Story

Middle

1st

High IC
Renaissance Award

Going to State

Wilson

Flippin' Chickens

Middle

2nd

 

Going to State

BNHS

Oompa Loompas

Secondary

1st

High IC

Going to State

BNHS

Carpet

Secondary

2nd

   

Challenge D

JCT

Dumpster Fire

Elementary

5th

High IC

 

Roanoke

The Super Underdog Sisters

Elementary

6th

 

 

Adams

Petrified Pickles

Middle

2nd

 

Going to State

Adams

The Banana Bunches

Middle

3rd

High IC

 

Adams

Licketysplit

Middle

5th

 

 

BNHS

Hexanauts

Secondary

1st (tie)

 

Going to State

NHS

Ultimate Skeleton Dragons 1

Secondary

1st (tie)

 

Going to State

BNHS

 

Fire Breathing Rubber Ducks 1

Secondary

4th

 

 

BNHS

Loompa Oompas

Secondary

5th (tie)

   

Challenge E

Seven Hills

Sour Patch Sharks

Elementary

3rd

 

 

Beck

The Whimsical Whoppers

Elementary

4th

 

 

Schluter

The Automakers

Elementary

4th

 

 

Hughes

The Rolling Hedgehogs

Elementary

5th

 

 

Roanoke

Ranger Homies

Elementary

5th

 

 

SRE

The Seven

Elementary

6th

 

 

Granger

Santa's Stallions

Elementary

6th

 

 

Medlin

Wait . . . What??

Middle

2nd

 

Going to State

Medlin

Insert Team Name Here

Middle

3rd

   

Medlin

Golden Girls + A Guy

Middle

4th

   

Tidwell

Tiny Tyrannosaurus

Middle

6th

   

BNHS

 

Fire Breathing Rubber Ducks 2

Secondary

1st

High IC

Going to State

NHS

Crime Brulee

Secondary

2nd

   

Project Outreach

Seven Hills

Name Not Found (203)

Elementary

5th

   

SRE

The Mavericks

Elementary

6th

   

Medlin

Your Worse Nightmare

Middle

2nd

High IC

 

Tidwell

Helping Hands

Middle

3rd

 

 

NHS

Ultimate Skeleton Dragons

Secondary

1st

High IC

Going to State