Last weekend, Greenville ISD sent two Destination Imagination teams to compete at Global Finals in Knoxville, TN, alongside more than 1,400 teams from 20 different countries. The Greenville Middle School Structure team placed ninth overall, while the Greenville High School Improv team received several honors.

Destination Imagination's mission is to develop opportunities that inspire the global community of learners to utilize diverse approaches in applying 21st century skills and creativity.

GISD Middle Level Structure team placed 9th over all. Team Roasted Marshmallows is coached by Shannon Manley and Jeff Norris and its team members include Jenna Ramsour, Morgan Green, Tamara Evans, Lydia Spivey, Bella Shiflet, Caleb Manley, and Preston Norris.  The structure is scored on its weight held ratio.  This group of 5th and 6th graders built a structure out of balsa wood weighing 14 grams that supported 730 pounds making their ratio 52%.  The structure could have held more had time not run out.  In addition, the structure had to be a musical instrument that was played for at least 30 seconds during a performance created by the team and integrated into the crushing of the structure.

Greenville High School Improv team, coached by Emily Duke and Lori Butler, competed against 74 teams from across the globe and were hand selected, because of their dedication to DI and the creative process, to have lunch with NASA Director of Education, Dr. Roosevelt Johnson. Improv team members include Rachel Garrett, Ariel Taylor, Mandi Isom, Jada Hilburn, Jaycie Haugen, and Jace Kilmer.

“Destination Imagination (DI) is an impressive youth-serving organization, and I’m delighted to have had the pleasure and privilege of working with them during my tenure at NASA,” said Johnson. “Next generation STEM explorers will have to be skilled at problem solving and comfortable working in teams. DI prepares today’s youth with precisely those skills. As one young DI participant told me several years ago, 'DI teaches me how to think…not what to think!' That is just one of the reasons I am excited to work with DI” he said. The GISD Improv team had three seniors participate in graduation at Global Finals: Jada Hilburn, Rachael Garrett, and Ariel Taylor.

"Greenville Destination Imagination is honored to have the support of our school district and community. These students are our future, they will be the innovators of tomorrow in protecting our world and creating a future we've only imagined,” said Emily Duke, GISD DI Coordinator, "It has been one of my greatest gifts to have the opportunity to watch our students push themselves to excellence and exceed our expectations," she continued.

The GISD Destination Imagination program is a hands-on system of learning that fosters students’ creativity, courage and curiosity through open-ended academic challenges in the fields of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), fine arts and service learning. Participants learn patience, flexibility, persistence, ethics, respect for others and their ideas, and the collaborative problem solving process. For more information on DI, contact Emily Duke at dukeel@greenvilleisd.com.