Destination ImagiNation, (DI), according to their website (www.destinationimagination.org) is:
"...one of the world's largest creativity and problem solving programs for youth of all ages, with thousands of participants in 47 US states, 15 countries and Canadian provinces participating annually. Destination ImagiNation® helps kids develop a unique and critical skill set by emphasizing: creativity, brainstorming, critical thinking skills, presentation skills, problem solving, project management, knowledge application, confidence, teamwork, time management, collaboration and research skills.
Our teams solve two types of Challenges within the program year. The Central Team Challenge involves structural, technical or theatrical oriented Challenges and takes several months to solve. Throughout that time the teams also practice improvisational Instant Challenges, which stimulate the team’s ability to think quickly and creatively with only minutes to prepare solutions. When tournament time rolls around, each team’s score reflects its Central Team Challenge performance plus its response to an Instant Challenge."
Hamilton Elementary, (Austin's school), has a very well developed volunteer group supporting this program, and sent five teams to the regional tournament. Four of those teams won the right to go to the State DI competition in Lubbock. One did not.
There were five "Team Challenges" for all DI teams across the United States this year. DIzzy Derby required designing and building a motorized vehicle which could carry up to 2 kids and could be navigated around a course. These teams also had to prepare a skit to describe "the action", had to prepare methods to respond to technical challenges during the skit (change a tire, lift the vehicle without touching it), etc... Our crazy neighbor's daughter is on a team from Hamilton that won 1st place in the elementary school division for this Challenge and is going to state.
Another challenge involved studying 12 modes of transportation, and then, on the day of the competition, the team is given a scenario around which they have 30 minutes to create a six-minute long improv skit incorporating 1 mode of transportation chosen by the judges, as well as other creative elements. Another challenge involves building a bridge from lightweight materials, estimating how much weight it can support during the team challenge, and creating a skit which involves "bridges (or connections) which exist between two cultures". You get the idea.
Austin's team chose to participate in "Live: It's RaDIo DI!" Their challenge involved creating an 8-minute skit telling a story via a live radio broadcast, incorporating live sound effect elements, an eccentric character and a commercial break. Immediately before their presentation, the judges give them a "breaking news headline". The team then had 1 minute to develop a "news story" around the headline, and figure out how to incorporate that "improv element" into their broadcast.
Their skit was "The Dr. Kookenstein Show", featuring Austin as Dr. Kookenstein, (speaking in a British accent, something I'm not sure I ever really grasped but something he did surprisingly well). As the broadcast begins, he and his assistant Hunchenstein had created a potion which turned two girls into a cat and monkey. It was interrupted with a commercial break and a news bulletin regarding the Empire State Building sinking (their improv element). Then, returning to the broadcast, the girls/animals proceeded to escape from the Dr's laboratory, followed by a comedic encounter with Labbott and Marcello, who proceeded to confuse the Dr. and H-stein with their "cat's on 1st street, monkey's on second" routine, followed by the girls/animals and the Dr. & H getting into a brawl on 2nd street where the broadcast came to a cliffhanging conclusion. The broadcast was enhanced with sound effects ranging from a homemade rainstick, keyboard, splashing in water, buzzers, corks uncorking, balloons popping, and many others. If you didn't follow all that, it's okay. It all made sense as you watched it unfold.
The Crazy Craniums, as they named their team, included 3 boys and 4 girls from the 4th grade at Hamilton. They won a "Renaissance Award" for best set design. The judges cited their creation of a wall (4'x6'x1" thick styrofoam sheet) which separated the radio station on one side from a living room on the other. The living room side of the set featured two of the girls listening to the broadcast on an old time radio they made, and a cuckoo clock on the wall with a cuckoo bird which popped out of the clock (a dowel rod stuck through the wall from the radio station side with a cuckoo bird on the end) to announce the time for the "Dr. Kookenstein" show to begin. They were the ONLY team of nearly 100 in the Gulf Coast region (including jr. high and high school teams) which incorporated listeners into their broadcast, and did it in an ingenious way.
Oh, and they also won 2nd place in the elementary school level, which allows them to go to the State Competition in Lubbock! Texas Tech is hosting the tournament April 8-9th, and everyone should come! I mean, haven't you all just been looking for any excuse to spend a weekend in Lubbock, Texas! (It's truly beautiful in springtime. Unless it's snowing. Or there's a tornado. Or a dust storm. Weevils can be a problem sometimes, sure...)
Two quick observations about Austin's response to their victory. He was so excited by their winning 2nd place, that when the other students from his school started chanting "Ham-il-ton, Ham-il-ton", Austin turned to them, (away from the judges presenting the trophy and medals), and begin raising his arms in the air to encourage/lead their chanting - in front of a gymnasium filled with about 1,000 students and adult partners(!) So swept up in this glorious moment was he, that upon returning to where the team were sitting, he realized he had forgotten to get his medal. With somewhat less panache, he slipped up to one of the judges a few minutes later and explained his bone-headedness.
The second observation involved Austin's "we're going to Disneyland" moment. When we got down to the gym floor after all the prizes were awarded, Austin was talking to one of the two other boys on the team. He was obviously very excited, and very hoarse. After hugs and congratulations, he turned to his friend Cameron and whispered, "Dude - we get to ride on a bus with a toilet".
Ah, the simple things...
No comments:
Post a Comment