The Destination Imagination Global Finals were completed on July 22-25, with this year being a virtual competition. The three Huron 2020-2021 teams competed against more than 900 hundred teams from around the world. Destination Imagination is a creative problem solving organization that highlights the tenants of STEAM education – Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics.

Huron’s seventh-grade team —the Schnoodle Doodlez — had members including Leo Schumacher, Miley Byrd, and Tucker Micheel. They were coached by Kathy Micheel.

The K-1 Team —The Star Fighting Snow Angels, with team members including Georgia Wachter, Abigail Castellanos, Calvin Brace, Kathryn Schumacher, Kiersten Mittelstedt and Mayli Foreman were coached by Callee Bauman Wachter.

Both of these teams competed in the Case Closed Challenge. They were tasked with learning different forensic strategies to solve a crime, including randomly selected methods into an improvisational performance that could be no longer than five minutes. It included a “real life” detective they researched, and a story line created by each individual team.

The Star Fighting Snow Angels competed against teams Kindergarten through fifth grade at the elementary level and received 15th place out of more than 60 teams. The Schnoodle Doodlez, competed against students 6-8th grade, and received 44th out of 45 teams.

The Skittle Twisters team was comprised of third and fourth graders — Charleston Wachter, Tanis Zachrison, Caroline Wheeler, Ella Dawkins, Vallavee Raschke, Jade Dunn and Esther Castellanos and was also coached by Callee Bauman Wachter. They selected the “Next Level” challenge.

They were tasked with using technical methods to create a virtual video game, collecting prizes and creating something from the prize pieces to get to the “ultimate prize.” The Skittle Twisters received special recognition for their Instant Challenge – a spontaneous problem-solving challenge, utilizing technical methods and skills and received 10th out of more than 80 teams.

Destination Imagination is a great team building activity for kids, led by the kids, that uses all their imagination skills with the use of STEM based education. If you are interested in finding out more information about Destination Imagination, please feel free to contact us at huronsddi@gmail.com, on Facebook at Huron’s Awesome Destination Imagination or Huron Destination or visit the website destinationimagination.org.

The new year program will begin in the Huron School district again this fall.