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Frequently Asked Questions


About Montana DI
What are the hours of the State Office?

The State Director is a volunteer position. Currently the State office is in my house. Since I have some part time jobs, there are no set hours. We do have an answering machine and fax machine as well as e-mail. I check all of these regularly throughout the day so if I am not in my office please leave a message and a good time to return your call. My phone and fax number are 406-285-3777.

Who is my Regional Director?
Where you live will determine who your Regional Director is. Go to the Contacts page and refer to the map to determine which region is yours. Then refer to the table below the map to find your Regional Director and the information on how to contact her.
Is Destination ImagiNation® Odyssey of the Mind?

No. Destination ImagiNation® is a parallel program to Odyssey of the Mind. Both programs are creative problem solving programs. The Montana Destination ImagiNation Board of Directors chose to run the Destination ImagiNation® Program. If you have questionas about the difference between the two programs please write to Montana Destination ImagiNation.

Membership
May my school district purchase a 5-pak for the entire district?
If your school district has a single itinerant teacher (such as a gifted and talent teacher) or has less than 500 students then you may purchase a 5 Pak for the the program or the multiple schools with a total enrollment of less than 500. Large Districts without an itinerant teacher may not purchase a 5-Pak just to avoid purchasing passports for individual schools. If you have questions on whether your school district qualifies for a 5-Pak please contact Montana Destination ImagiNation. Do not let this restriction keep your students from participating. Call us or e-mail us and we will discuss your situation to determine what is best for your students.
May 4-H clubs, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, YMCAs, etc. participate in Destination ImagiNation?
Yes! Destination ImagiNation is open to commuity groups, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, PTAs/PTOs, home school programs, parent groups, or businesses who wish to sponsor a team or group of teams.
How do we know what our passport number is?
Your passport number will come in the mailing with your program materials and also will be e-mailed to you once your membership fee is paid. If you lose it or can not find it write to your Regional Director or the State Director. One of them will contact you with your passport number(s).
If we order a 5-Pak how many teams may we have in each challenge?

With the new 5-Pak Passports you may have all teams solve the same challenge even if they are all at the same level. There are no restrictions on how many teams in a level may do a particular challenge. 5-pak members are entitled to 5 competitive teams and one number of Rising Stars! teams. If you do not have 5 competitive teams you may have Rising Star temas fill those extra slots.

How much does it cost to be a part of Destination ImagiNation®?

A Passport fee for one team is $110. If you choose to have a 5-Pak (passports for two to five teams, the cost is $225). These fees are paid to Destination ImagiNation, Inc.

There is also a per team fee of $70 (if paid by December 1) or $100 (if paid by January 15) which is paid to Montana Destination ImagiNation. This is for each team which is registered to participate in the Regional Tournament. There is no additional fee for teams that qualify to compete in the state tournament.

How do we register our team(s) for the Regional Events?

You will need to complete the Montana Destination ImagiNation Tournament Registration form. The completed form must be completed by December 1st and your Appraiser Registered by December 15. if you want the "Early Bird Discount". Your Regional Director will invoice you for your tournament fees based on when your registrations are received. Print out the confirmation of your registration for your records. If you should have questions contact your Regional Director. Regional Director names and addresses can be found on the Contacts page. Don't forget you need to register your appraiser for your registration to be complete. Your appraisers must be willing to come to the state tournament in March.

How do we join Destination ImagiNation®?

There are two ways you can purchase a Destination ImagiNation® Membership:

1) Electronically at Shop DI

Click on Purchase Your Membership in the right hand column. If you already have a ShopDI account, log in after clicking on "Purchase Your Membership". If you do not have a ShopDI account, you'll be prompted to create an account and be taken through the checkout process.

  1. Go to www.shopdi.org and click on Purchase Your Membership.
  2. Select your membership type by clicking the name of the membership you wish to purchase.
  3. On the resulting screen, select your Affiliate (state, province, or country), enter the desired name of your membership, (If you had a membership last year you may use the same name again.) and additional printed materials package ($25 for additional sets - each membership receives one printed set and a CD.
  4. When you've completed those options, press the "Add to My Cart" button and your membership configuration will be added to your ShopDI shopping cart.
  5. Feel free to browse the rest of the store and add any other items you wish to purchase. When you are ready to complete your order, press the Checkout button. If you have not logged into the ShopDI system or do not have a Shop DI Account, you will be prompted to log in or set up an account at this point.

TIP: The Check Out will allow you to change you to select your payment type - Credit Card, Check, or Purchase Order. (The default is credit card.) If you do not pay by credit card, you must remember to print off your order receipt and send it along with your payment to Destination ImagiNation, Inc. headquarters. (If you are using a Purchase Order you may fax it and the receipt to Destination ImagiNation, Inc. headquarters. This receipt is available at the order completion screen, from the "My Account" page, and is sent via e-mail automatically. You will not receive instructions on how to download the challenges until payment is received. We strongly recommend using a credit card, as it is the fastest route to obtaining a membership.

OR

2) Via Fax or Mail

 

You may download a PDF version of the Passport Application Form or request one from Montana Destination ImagiNation. Decide whether you want to have one team (Individual Team) or two to five teams (5-Pak).
Print out the form, complete and send it with your method of payment to: Destination ImagiNation, Inc., P. O. Box 547, Glassboro, NJ 08028
NOTE: there is an additional fee per team that will be paid to Montana Destination ImagiNation. Click Here for more information on these fees.

Team Composition
If a registered team member was unable to compete at the Regional Tournament may he/she compete at the State Tournament?

Yes.

If we have less than seven team members, can new members be added after a tournament or showcase?

No. Once you have competed in a Regional Showcase your team roster may not change.

May we replace or add team members if someone drops off the team?
If your team has not started discussing a solution for the Central (long term) Challenge then yes, you may replace lost members. If you have already begun to discuss your solution to the Central Challenge you may not replace the team member(s) who dropped. These dropped team members must remain on your roster. If you had less than seven at the time, then you may add members until your total with the dropped members equals seven.
How many participants may be on a team?

A team may have a maximum of seven members.

May my school district purchase a 5-pak for the entire district?
If your school district has a single itinerant teacher (such as a gifted and talent teacher) or has less than 500 students then you may purchase a 5 Pak for the the program or the multiple schools with a total enrollment of less than 500. Large Districts without an itinerant teacher may not purchase a 5-Pak just to avoid purchasing passports for individual schools. If you have questions on whether your school district qualifies for a 5-Pak please contact Montana Destination ImagiNation. Do not let this restriction keep your students from participating. Call us or e-mail us and we will discuss your situation to determine what is best for your students.
How do we decide at which level we want to compete?
The level at which you compete is determined by the oldest student on your team.
LEVEL GRADE AGE
RISING STARS! Kindergarten-2nd 5-9
ELEMENTARY Kindergarten-5th less than 12 on
June 15, 2007
MIDDLE 6th-8th less than 15 on
June 15, 2007
SECONDARY 9th-12th less than 19 on
June 15, 2007
UNIVERSITY All team members must be enrolled full-time in a college/university or technical school. College teams may not recruit younger students who have not finished high school or equivalent.
If we order a 5-Pak how many teams may we have in each challenge?

With the new 5-Pak Passports you may have all teams solve the same challenge even if they are all at the same level. There are no restrictions on how many teams in a level may do a particular challenge. 5-pak members are entitled to 5 competitive teams and one number of Rising Stars! teams. If you do not have 5 competitive teams you may have Rising Star temas fill those extra slots.

Tournaments
Does each membership need to provide a volunteer to help with the State Tournament like they do at regional events?

It takes a lot of people to run a tournament.  We ask that each team coming to State supply a volunteer to help with the many tasks that make the tournament run smoothly.  Most of these tasks are only for a couple of hours or less and we try to schedule people so they will still be able to see their teams perform.

Our Appraiser cannot come to State may we send someone else?

Appraisers must be trained to work at a Tournament.  If you can find another trained Appraiser then ask him or her to represent your team.  It is best to make sure your showcase Appraiser will be able to come to state.  If you really cannot find someone, ask your Regional Director for names of Appraisers that were trained and contact them.  It is not fair to you or other teams to not have enough Appraisers at a tournament.  If you are still having problems, contact the State Office and see if they can help you.

May a team change its solution between showcases and tournaments?

Yes.

You may change anything but the Challenge and team level.  Remember though that you qualified for the next level tournament based on what you took to the tournament, so ask yourselves what was it the appraisers liked and consider keeping those elements.

When are my Regional Events?
Check the Calendar for the date of your Regional Events and other important dates. Some dates have not been set yet but as they are they will be added to the Calendar.
How is the date selected for Regional Events and the State Tournament?

These dates are based on site availability. Since most sites are donated or only charge custodial fees tournament dates must be scheduled around other activities that also use the site.

How do we register our team(s) for the Regional Events?

You will need to complete the Montana Destination ImagiNation Tournament Registration form. The completed form must be completed by December 1st and your Appraiser Registered by December 15. if you want the "Early Bird Discount". Your Regional Director will invoice you for your tournament fees based on when your registrations are received. Print out the confirmation of your registration for your records. If you should have questions contact your Regional Director. Regional Director names and addresses can be found on the Contacts page. Don't forget you need to register your appraiser for your registration to be complete. Your appraisers must be willing to come to the state tournament in March.

Miscellaneous
How do we apply for the Scholarship?

There are three scholarships available to Montana high school seniors who participated in Destination ImagiNation and/or Odyssey of the Mind for at least two years.

  1. The Montana Destination ImagiNation Scholarship is for Montana students only.
  2. The MudDI Waters Scholarship is open to students from Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Each scholarship is for $500. Forms are also sent to each high school guidance counselor and all active Destination ImagiNation memberships in Montana.
  3. The VOMBO Scholarship is open to high school seniors and college students. For a list of the past Challenges and Problems Click Here.
Is Destination ImagiNation® Odyssey of the Mind?

No. Destination ImagiNation® is a parallel program to Odyssey of the Mind. Both programs are creative problem solving programs. The Montana Destination ImagiNation Board of Directors chose to run the Destination ImagiNation® Program. If you have questionas about the difference between the two programs please write to Montana Destination ImagiNation.