For Immediate Release
March 16, 2006
Contact:
Kim McCormick, Regional Director
Destination ImagiNation
(434) 977-2728
jrdi@adelphia.net
Media Release
Area Students Showcase Their Creativity at Destination ImagiNation Regional Tournament Hosted by Western Albemarle High School
What could you do with a roll of duct tape and a few spare hours? Could you make a wallet, a suit of armour, a spinning wheel with moving parts? Ask that question to one of the more than 400 kids participating in this year’s Jefferson Region Destination ImagiNation Regional Tournament and you’d probably get 400 different answers.
Destination ImagiNation (DI) is an international, team-based, creative problem solving competition offering children in Kindergarten through University level the opportunity to showcase their critical thinking, presentation, brainstorming, time management and research skills, by solving challenges with components that are theatrical, technical, scientific, and artistic. DI gives students the chance to tackle one of five challenges, design and produce a solution, learn new skills, and work cooperatively with others, while having fun. It is a program that encourages out-of-the-box thinking and teaches children that there are many ways to approach and solve problems. Although it is a competition, the program focuses more on the problem solving process and on team building activities which help kids develop lifelong skills like collaboration, courtesy and valuing diversity.
The Jefferson Region is pleased to announce that the annual Destination ImagiNation Regional Tournament will be held at Western Albemarle High School on Saturday, March 18, 2006. Sixty-five teams, of five to seven children, will present their solutions to one of five challenges representing technical design and construction, theater arts and playwriting, invention, improvisational acting, and structural engineering. The following school divisions and private schools are participating in the tournament this year: Albemarle Co., Amherst Co., Bath Co., Charlottesville Catholic School, Charlottesville City, Nelson Co., Orange Co., Rockbridge Co., and the Peabody School. In addition there are three independent, community teams from the Charlottesville area. The tournament is open to the public and performances begin at 9am.
First place teams from all over Virginia will gather at VCU in Richmond on Saturday, April 22, 2006 to compete for the state championship. From there, winners advance to the Global Finals, held at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in May. More than 8000 participants, from all over the world, are expected to compete. Last year seven Jefferson Region teams competed at Global Finals.
For additional information, please contact:
Kim McCormick, Regional Director
Destination ImagiNation
(434) 977-2728
jrdi@adelphia.net