After winning honors for creativity, teamwork and problem solving in local, state and regional tournaments, a team including students from Bridges Virtual Academy (BVA) has earned the right to travel to Destination Imagination’s Global Finals. Destination Imagination’s Global Finals, the “largest creative thinking and problem solving competition in the world,” will be held in Knoxville, TN on May 22-26. Team members include Nathan Steger (5th grade, BVA), Kyra Todd (7th grade, BVA), Foster Todd (4th grade, BVA), Megan Re (6th grade, homeschool), and Weslen Evans (5th grade, homeschool). The children participated through an enrichment program lead by Team Manager Dianne Stewart.
The team will compete in the “Change of Realitee,” one of seven open-ended challenges that require young people to apply science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), in addition to improvisation, theater arts, writing, project management, communication, innovation, teamwork, and community service.
Destination Imagination has had a positive impact on more than 1.5 million young people and adults who have benefitted from participation in its acclaimed Challenge Program. This year, another 100,000 young people have competed in tournaments throughout the U.S. and in 30 countries to earn a spot at the Global Finals competition in May.
The impact on students is apparent. “I have grown in my confidence and learned that we all have many different strengths that can be used to solve problems as a team,” said 4th grade BVA student Foster Todd. Fifth grade student Nathan Steger shared, “In our improv skit we only have five minutes to prepare. This has taught me how to process things quickly and how to think faster on my feet.”
“This is a wonderful example of the flexibility that is available with an educational option like the one offered through the Bridges Virtual Academy. Parents and children initiated and developed this team that included three students from the BVA. We are very proud of their efforts and look forward to a successful performance at the Destination Imagination Global Finals,” stated John Hagemeister, BVA Administrator.
Destination Imagination Inc, dedicates iteself to enriching the global community by providing opportunitites for learners of all ages to explore and discover using the creative process from imagination to innovation. Student teams are immersed in the creative process needed to solve open-ended challenges, and then present their solutions at a regional and state tournament. “The DI competition requires students to work through some very demanding critical thinking and problem solving assignments that strengthen our educational systems by enhancing the learning processes taking place in the classroom,” declared Chuck Cadle, CEO of Destination Imagination. “We’ve seen the development of superior aptitudes in analytical thinking, leadership, project management, teamwork, communication, research and innovation in hundreds of thousands of youth since our organization’s inception almost three decades ago, and we believe Destination Imagination has the potential to bridge the gap between what is taught in our schools and the thinking skills our youth will need to succeded in the world of the future.”