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Taft team wins Destination Imagination competition
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Members of Taft Elementary School’s Destination Imagination team won first place in their age group at the regional competition last month at Youngstown State University. The team competed in a category called “Verses! Foiled Again.”
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Taft Elementary School fifth-grader Jayda Day, 11, a member of her school’s Destination Imagination team, talks about the competition that involves teamwork, creativity, problem solving, research and other skills.
By Denise Dick
YOUNGSTOWN
Students at Taft Elementary School learn critical thinking, teamwork, creativity and problem solving through their participation in Destination Imagination.
DI is an educational contest in which students complete challenges.
One of the Taft teams earned first place in the contest last month at Youngstown State University and will head to Mount Vernon High School in Central Ohio for the state tournament. A second team earned second place.
The first-place team competed in “Verses! Foiled Again,” a structural challenge.
“We had to build a structure using only foil, wood and glue,” explained fifth-grader Julius Poole, 11.
The structure, which could weigh no more than 25 grams, was tested to see how much weight it could sustain, said Carla Gipson, team coach.
The team’s work held 145 pounds.
“It’s all because of Julius and KeiSean,” said fourth-grader Cristalina Gomez, 11.
Fifth-grader KeiSean McRae, 10, and Julius built the bridge.
Besides the structure, the project had to present a story about a character that’s foiled, integrating both published and original verse.
Lois Thornton, coordinator of DI for the district, said the experience incorporates science, reading, research, creativity, teamwork and many other positive elements. The students must try out for the team, and it takes a lot of work.
Thornton received a grant from the Wean Foundation to help fund the teams for the last two years. Fundraisers were conducted, and a lot of parents and community members volunteer their time to allow the kids to participate.
Curtis Jones started volunteering with Youngstown DI teams about 10 years ago, after meeting Thornton at the Youngstown Playhouse.
Cristalina and Najana Hopson, 11, and in fifth grade, say they’re excited about the chance to compete at the state contest. The team is working on its props and scenery, getting ready for the big day April 16.
Two teams from Youngstown Early College and a team from Rayen Early College Middle School also advanced to the state competition. Two teams from East High School, which are managed by Jeanne Constantino, also will compete at the state event.
The Taft team that earned second place competed in the Mythology Mission event. The students had to create an improvisational skit involving a mythical creature, incorporating research about a country.
“It went pretty well,” said Patrick Smith, 10, a fourth-grader.
Fourth-grader Ceaonnie Jones, 10, said the team’s mythical creature was a dragon, and China was the country.
“We did a Chinese festival,” he said.
“That was how we showed culture,” explained Courtney Dee, 9, who is in fourth grade.
The other team members are fifth-graders Jayda Day, 11, Damaria Jefferson, 10, Serena Butler, 10, and Iesha Scott, 10; and third-grader Kiarra Pagan, 9; and Kaylin Brown and Maya Feezle, both 10 and in fourth grade.