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Forty-five teams and about 300 K-high schoolers participated
YOUNGSTOWN
Michelle Morgan hated the role of a bully she played in Youngstown East High School’s anti-bullying project for Saturday’s Ohio Region I Destination Imagination tournament.
East High had one of the 45 area teams, with about 300 combined members, who competed in the event that took place at several sites on the Youngstown State University campus.
Tawanna Dowd, an East High sophomore who was Michelle’s target, said she “felt hurt” even though she knew it was just part of a skit to demonstrate the harm bullying can do.
“I didn’t like being a bully. It was not a fun part,” said Michelle, a senior, particularly because she, like all the other members of the East High team, have been victims of bullying.
The team doesn’t want the project, titled “Hand in Hand Together We Can Help Stamp Out Bullying,” to be a one-time thing, said Jeanne Constantino, a teacher at East High and team manager.
“We plan to pass out monthly Act of Kindness awards to students who try to stop or report bullying. Winners will receive a certificate and a restaurant food card,” said Charde’ Woods, a senior. Cephren Copeland and Chre’Rea Sarbaro also are members of the East High team.
The teams, ranging from kindergarten through high school, faced challenges that were numerous and varied, from technical to scientific to the arts. Teams that scored the highest move on to state-level competition.
The Summit Academy of Youngstown team, faced with the challenge of being archaeologists trying to survive in the Arabian Desert, did what anyone would do: They created and demonstrated a cactus juicer.
“We tried to think outside the box,” said Jaivon Spearman, a senior co-captain of the team with Aleah Zalovcik. Other Summit team members are Ashley Gabreicik, Brianna Rivera, Jonathan Koenig, Justin Christy and Nehemiah Rivera.
Team members split up the work according to their interests and talents, said Sherrin Bielik, a teacher at Summit and team manager.
For example, Jaivon, who said he likes to be creative, helped write the script and the lyrics to the song used in their skit about their journey in the desert. It was set to the tune of “Arabian Nights” from “Aladdin.” Aleah, who “loves to act,” was a main character in the skit.
Cindy Baer, a third-grade teacher at Howland H.C. Mines Intermediate School, was director of the Region I Tournament.
Howland schools sent 10 teams to the tournament.
Baer, along with the rest of the Region I Governing Board, thanked all of the volunteers, friends, family members and students who helped make the tournament a success.
Baer also thanked the Novelis Neighbor program of the Novelis Aluminum Corp. in Warren for its financial support of the tournament.
She said the new partnership with Novelis Neighbor helped bring the Destination Imagination program to more kids in Region 1, consisting of Trumbull, Mahoning and Ashtabula counties, by helping to offset the cost of membership and tournament fees.