Solving problems as a team

While students at Springfield Plains Elementary School gather for lunch and recess, members of the Destination Imagination have been meeting in the Discovery Room to plan strategy.
‘Teamwork was a priority,? said third-grader Heather Davies. ‘We worked hard.?
The students, split into teams Brainiacs, Eagles, and Soaring Eagles, compete in team challenges. The Eagles earned third place and Soaring Eagles earned fourth March 3 at Waterford Mott regional competition.
They decided to work on Direct Flight, and learned about airplanes and blimps. They made paper airplanes, elevators to raise and launch them, and a skit to explain what they learned.
‘We made airplanes from scratch,? siad fifth-grader Kerenza Ryan. ‘We learned a lot, about how airplanes work and why, and how blimps stay up so long.?
At the end of the contest, students from competing schools got together for a swap meet.
‘I got a stuffed cow,? said Alex Trim, fifth grader. ‘I traded a pink bunny.?
Classroom teachers selected students for Andersonville’s DI team. Their first problem was when the group, from grades 3-5 all over the school, got together for the first time.
‘I didn’t know everyone ? we were from different classrooms and different grades,? said Jon Giolitti, third grade.
‘Now I know everyone pretty well.?
The team got in a circle and took turns tossing a ball of string ? catching it meant having to tell a story about him or herself. When complete, the room resembled a spider web.
‘That helped a lot,? Trim said.
This the first year for the DI program at Andersonville. Annie Knill, whose daughter Sadie Knill is a Braniac, volunteers to run the school program.
‘They learn teamwork,? Annie Knill said.
All DI teams have eight weeks to design and construct their machine, and produce a presentation that explains it, with props and costumes.
‘A month before the tournament, we were stressed out,? said Daniel Arpoika, an Eagle.
‘We built a model airplane and were practicing with it ? it was a lot of trouble, but somehow we pulled through,? said Mark Stout, Eagle.
‘Sometimes it was hard,? said Eagle Lynnsey Polish. ‘But we figured it out.?
Students were chosen for the team because they are doing well in school, Knill said.
‘It’s a great thing, a nice extra challenge,? she said.
The group is now preparing forthe state tournament, set for April 21 at Central Michigan University. They will compete against about 36 teams.
For more information about DI, call 856-881-1603 or check www.DestinationImagination .org.

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