San Ramon Students Headed To Destination Imagination Global Tournament

SAN RAMON, CA — Five San Ramon students will attend the Destination Imagination global tournament, where their knowledge of STEAM, fine arts, and teamwork will be challenged. Three 8th grade students from Gale Ranch Middle School and two from Windemere Ranch Middle School will head to the tournament in Kansas City after placing first in a regional competition and second in a state competition.

The five students - Sahasra Vatturi, Kruti Kunamneni, Manya Vairaashtak from Gale Ranch, and Tanishi Rawal and Sruthi Nimmagadda from Windermere Ranch - competed in a fine arts challenge that required them to “flip the story” of a well-known piece of art to reflect current themes. The team, deemed “Dill Pickles,” explored issues of inflation and climate change through a rearranged fairy tale.

The girls used live music, props, motors, mechanical devices, wooden frames, and scenery painted onto cardboard. They were judged based on their acting abilities, creativity, ability to change scenes, and effectively portray at least one scene from the researched story.

They also performed instant challenges, which required them to devise solutions to a science or engineering problem using everyday items in just five to seven minutes.

“With their good acting skills, they were able to create a great performance that impressed judges and audiences alike,” said Jyothsna Vuttukuri, the team manager. “Their hard work paid off as they consistently scored well in both regional and state challenges for their central challenge.”

The team has started a GoFundMe page to raise money for their trip to Kansas. For more information on Destination Imagination, visit destinationimagination.org.