Schools
Feature Photo: Handprints From Around The World
St. Joseph School students, with help from kids from all over the world, created this work of art.
A middle school team from St. Joseph School , setting a new record for the school.
Along with a first place trophy, the team, the Super Sassy Silly Sixth Sense, brought back this art piece that students from all over the world left their handprints on.
Though Gretchen Altenberger, seventh grade St. Joseph School student, was thrilled that her team had received first place at the finals, she said that meeting people from different countries is one of the best parts of the competition.
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"It's really awesome to get to know these people from all over the world and that's something you don't get from a social studies class," Altenberger said.
Destination ImagiNation Inc. is a nonprofit organization that promotes an after-school program that pushes students to learn to work in teams and solve a variety of challenges. Specific challenges are assigned based on the ages and preferences of the students participating. During competitions, teams present the solutions to their challenges that they have been working on since the fall and also receive an instant challenge.
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The finals took place in Knoxville, TN and ran from May 23-26. Altenberger's team was a cultural ambassador this year, meaning they were assigned an international team to welcome to the United States. Her team was assigned a team from Poland.
The art piece was a way for the kids to communicate at first, breaking the communication barrier between the Lake Orion and Poland students. Students gathered around the big sheet of fabric, tracing their hands, writing where they were from and special messages about Destination ImagiNation. The colorful design started with the group of St. Joseph School students and the team from Poland and then bloomed into a project that kids from many other countries wanted to participate in.
Now the kids have a 9 feet tall work of art that they are proudly displaying at the school. They hope to display it at local art studios, libraries and more in the future.
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