Hendrick Hudson Destination Imagination Team Heads to Globals

From Hendrick Hudson School District:

A fledgling Destination Imagination team from Blue Mountain Middle School has met with great success in regional and state competition and will now proceed to the DI Global Finals in Nashville, TN in May. It’s been nearly a decade since students from the Hendrick Hudson School District competed at a DI tournament, and the team’s achievements have exceeded both the members’ and the managers’ expectations.

“This team works together so well,” said parent and team manager Michelle Piccolo Hill. “They are extremely collaborative and consistently play to each other’s strengths. The level of trust among these students is truly spectacular.”

Team VIIPZ is made up of the following Blue Mountain 7th graders: Vanessa Rossi, Indrani Malhotra, Isolde McManus, Parker Piccolo Hill and Zoe Rose (the team’s name comprises the members’ first initials). In addition to Piccolo-Hill, parent Rhonda Malhotra serves as team manager.

The students competed in a regional tournament at Mercy College in March, and proceeded to state competition in Binghamton earlier this month, where the team garnered a first place win, securing a spot at the Global Finals.

At each DI competition, teams compete in Instant Challenges and Team Challenges. Instant Challenges require participants to solve a fun, surprise challenge on the spot. Teams must work together to quickly assess the situation and generate an appropriate and creative response within just a few minutes. Team Challenges require teams to utilize each member’s skills in such diverse areas as art, writing, technology, performance, engineering, and music to create a unique solution that can take from several weeks to several months to develop.

The atmosphere at the Binghamton competition was “absolutely electric,” according to Piccolo- Hill. “There was an undercurrent of pride among all the students and managers for what had been accomplished up to this point.”

Overheard following the competition, the team members’ comments said it all: “The whole experience was invigorating and adrenaline pumping!” “We got to see other teams’ solutions to their challenges and were awestruck.” “It was a once a lifetime experience!”

Blue Mountain Middle School Principal John Owens said, “Destination Imagination enables students to work together and be creative, two of the most natural and enjoyable attributes so many students possess. I look forward to more of this type of learning being incorporated into everyday teaching and learning for our students.”

Pictured: DI Win in Binghamton (left to right) - Team VIIPZ members Parker Piccolo Hill, Indrani Malhotra, Zoe Rose, Vanessa Rossi and Isolde McManus.