Medfield Excels At Destination Imagination

Medfield Excels at Destination Imagination Regionals: Two Teams Advance to Globals and One Plans to Attend

On Sunday, March 10th, Beverly Middle School hosted the Destination Imagination (DI) Regionals, an innovative and fun-filled tournament. After months of preparation, almost one hundred student teams from towns in our area presented their creative solutions to a number of mind-bending STEAM-based (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) challenges.

DI is an international, project-based educational program that encourages innovation, teamwork, and creative problem-solving. Students chose one of seven STEAM-based challenges and worked in teams to research, plan, create and present their solution to the challenge. Teams also completed Instant Challenges during which they use creativity and collaboration to solve a problem in a short period of time.

Four Medfield DI teams competed at the March 10th Regional Tournament with two second place finishers that advanced to The Globals Finals in Kansas City, MO.

The “Project Cleanup” team is a group of 5th grade boys who came in second in the “Uncharted” Service Learning Challenge. Ollie Ferraro, William Ferguson, Ryan Kenworthy, Rubin Liu, Jack Ross, Axel Storer, and Brooks Weber, managed by Randal Kenworthy, are hoping to travel to Kansas City, MO to compete at Globals on May 22nd-May 25th. Their project started back in the fall with a Medfield town cleanup, which they incorporated into a clever skit for their project. They used a 3D printer to create a prop and featured a live chemical experiment at the competition. They are hoping to bring it all to Globals and are looking for help from the community by raising money through a gofundme https://gofund.me/2df422b7, bake sale at Wheelock on May 4th and 5th, and an initiative to approach businesses for donations.

Coming in second place and qualifying for the Global Tournament in the Elementary Fine Arts Challenge was the fourth grade team “DI Surprise” with Mica Annigeri, Devan Crocker, Piper Kay, Cate McCullough, Claire Puglia, and Elle Rogers, managed by Maria Puglia and Lindsay Rogers. The team created an entertaining heist and crime-solving skit based on a work of a known piece of visual art and incorporated their own art that used kinetic movement (electrical currents). The characters were either static or dynamic, and the conflict in the skit was resolved in the end.

Two other teams had strong showings at the competition. Coming in fourth in the “Going the Distance” Elementary Engineering Challenge, was the fourth grade team “Brains Among Us” with Ryan Cooper, Maeve Dondero, Presley Frascella, Camden Keene, Owen Ostiguy, Brooks Viglas, and Teddy Zaks, managed by Sylvia Cooper and Jennifer Dondero. The fourth grade team “The Chain Reactions” with Thomas Crocker, Sawyer Feig, Ayden McArdle, Erik McArdle, and Declan McCullough, managed by Mike Crocker and Kyle McGough had a strong showing in the “Pinball Heroes” Technical Challenge.

Congratulations to all of these Medfield Teams. Big thank you to Paul Dewey for his many years of volunteering and bookkeeping to keep this program running. Some board members will be rolling off after this season, so please inquire if you are interested in helping.

About Destination Imagination

Destination Imagination, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) volunteer-led non-profit organization whose purpose is to inspire and equip students to become the next generation of innovators and leaders. The organization is a leader in project-based learning experiences, where students work together in teams to solve open-ended STEAM and service learning challenges and then present their solutions at tournaments. Destination Imagination has impacted more than one million students. To learn more, please visit http://destinationimagination.org, Medfield Destination Imagination’s Facebook page, or email UFLindsay@gmail.com or Inger97@gmail.com