Mission, Texas- Mission Consolidated Independent School District (CISD) is advancing four Destination Imagination teams to the Texas State Destination Imagination Tournament in Lubbock, Texas on April 7-8. Veterans Memorial High School’s Improvsters, Mission High School’s Super Sleuths, Mission Junior High School’s The Madjesk-tics, and Escobar-Rios Elementary’s Guardians of Imagination.
All 21 Mission CISD campuses competed at the South Border Bridge Regional Destination Imagination Tournament on Saturday, February 18, 2017, at Veterans Memorial Early College High School in Brownsville. Of 194 teams, 3 MCISD teams participated in the non-competitive Rising Stars level (1st and 2nd grades), and 33 teams participated in the elementary, middle school, high school, and university levels.
Destination Imagination allows children from kindergarten through university level to use their prior knowledge, creativity, and research skills to solve challenges as a team while pushing their imaginations to the limits. Over an eight-week period, students work together to plan, organize, research, and create their Team Challenge, write a script, make props and costumes, while learning problem-solving skills, communication, and team work. In addition to solving the Team Challenge, teams must also compete in and solve an Instant Challenge “on the spot”.
Although 18 of the 33 competitive teams placed at the South Border Bridge Destination Imagination tournament, only teams placing first advance to state. The first place teams advancing to state include Veterans Memorial High School’s Improvsters in the university level under team manager Mabeline Rodriguez; team members are Dara San Martin, Julissa Bazan, Christyn Cavazos, and Isaac Martinez.
In the secondary level, Mission High School’s Super Sleuths under team managers Alicia Trevino and Lora Garcia are advancing to state; the team members include: Sara Alonzo, Gerardo Banuelos, Diana Gamez, and Anahi Rios.
In the middle school level, Mission Junior High’s The Madjesk-tics under team manager Carrie Gordon will be competing at state. Team members include: Damian Buitron Adams, Madison Davis, Kaylee Gordon, Alyssa Lopez, and Ethan Zamora.
In the elementary level, team manager Melissa Garcia and her Guardians of Imagination will be advancing to state for the second year in a row. Team members are Sophia Cano, Asael Garcia, Jacqueline Yruegas, Oscar Coronado, Kayla Calderon, Zoe McLelland, and Camila Marin.
Two teams placed second at the SBBDI Regional Tournament: Escobar-Rios’s team under team manager Roxanna Barraza and K. White Junior High’s Cookie Dabbers under team manager Richard Obligar. Teams placing 3rd include Midkiff Elementary’s Dinamites under team manager Yvonne Ayala, Escobar-Rios’s The Vanishing Squad under Celina Femat, Cavazos Elementary’s DI Fableousos under team manager Selma Jones, and Castro’s Imaginator Raiders under team manager Carissa Ozuna.
Castro Elementary’s the Idea Poppers under Sherilyn Estacio, Midkiff Elementary’s The Banana-nanas under Veronica Garza, Alton Memorial Junior High’s Cra-Z-Arts under Rosalva Gonzalez, and Mission Collegiate High School’s Knights under Shawna Kennedy and Carla Puente placed 4th.
Teams placing 6th in their respective competitions are Midkiff Elementary’s The Super Loud Midkiff Creators under Deborah Champion, Alton Elementary’s Rebellious Patriots under
Marazul Orozco, Pearson Elementary’s Smarties under Sonia Trevino, and Alton Memorial Junior High’s The Flying Falcons under Rosbel Pena,
Destination Imagination also recognizes individuals and teams for special awards. Four Mission CISD teams were awarded the DaVinci award for outstanding creativity: Escobar-Rios’s The Vanishing Squad under team manager Celina Femat, Castro Elementary’s Imaginator Raiders under team manager Clarissa Ozuna, Escobar-Rios’s Guardians of Imagination under team manager Melissa Garcia, and Mission Junior High School’s The Madjesk-tics under team manager Carrie Gordon. Three teams were awarded the Renaissance Award for outstanding design, engineering, execution and performance in solving the challenge: Castro Elementary‘s The Idea Poppers under team manager Sherilyn Estacio, K. White Junior High School’s Cookie Dabbers under team manager Richard Obligar, and Veterans Memorial High School’s Improvsters under team manager Mabeline Rodriguez. K. White Junior High Schools’ Cookie Dabbers were also awarded the Project Outreach Torchbearer award, which honors teams for their project having extraordinary impact in and beyond their communities.
Pictured are members of the four teams.
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