Understanding the DI Challenge

The Foundation 46 Board of Directors is thrilled to announce that three D46 Destination ImagiNation® teams have qualified for the state tournament, which will take place on April 13, 2013 at Northern Illinois University. We’d like to help readers better understand what’s involved in the DI Challenges. Early in the season, the teams were presented with six challenges from which to choose. The challenges present problems in the following domains: technical, scientific, fine arts, improvisational, structural, and community outreach.

The “DI Tornados” selected "In Disguise,” the Fine Arts challenge. The team of six 3rd and 4th graders from Woodview School were challenged with creating a story about a character that uses a disguise, using only non-verbal theatrical techniques to present the story, and to design and construct at least two masks that enhance the story. These students placed 4th in the regional tournament with an invitation to attend the State Tournament. 

“The Flying Narwhals” a team of seven 4th and 5th graders from Avon, Frederick and Woodview chose the technical challenge “In the Zone”. Their challenge was to present a story about the dangers faced by vehicles, told from the point of view of one or more vehicles. They had to design and build small vehicles that are able to reliably and accurately travel specific distances and use at least three different power sources for the vehicles. This team was awarded 2nd place and qualifies for the State Tournament. 

The “Snooze Buttons,” seven 3rd and 5th graders from Frederick, Meadowview and Woodview, and the "Paper Monkeys" a team of seven students from Prairieview and Woodview selected “Twist-O-Rama”, the structural challenge. They were required to build a structure that could survive a serious hit while holding weight and being subjected to torque-inducing impacts. The challenge also required them to produce a prop or costume made of all the materials used in the structure. Telling a story about something or someone that causes an unexpected twist or surprise change was also a requirement. The “Snooze Buttons” came in 1st place and will advance to the State Tournament.

Congratulations to all six D46 DI teams who performed at the Regional Tournament on Saturday! The four competitive level teams and the two non-competitive K-2 Rising Stars teams all put a great deal of work into their performances from October through March 2. What these students have accomplished by tackling these challenges is nothing short of extraordinary and we hope that our D46 community is as proud of its children as we are!

The Foundation 46 DI Committee will be hosting a DI Family Fun Night at Frederick School the evening of April 26th. All D46 families and community members interested in learning more about DI are encouraged to attend. 2013 DI teams will perform at the event and spectators will have the opportunity to engage in Instant Challenges. A small admission fee will be charged and all proceeds will contribute to our Global Tournament Savings Fund. Additional details will be available on our website: www.d46foundation.org. Those who are interested are also encouraged to join our email distribution list by sending a message to d46foundation@gmail.com and to like “Foundation 46” on facebook.