Montana Destination Imagination

Welcome

to the 2008-2009 Montana Destination ImagiNation program year!
Destination ImagiNation (DI) is the educational program that teaches students tools to put their classroom education to work immediately. DI is open to students from kindergarten to 12th grade and beyond.

Students learn both leadership and teamwork skills.
DI teams meet throughout the year to learn the skills to creatively solve fun challenges.  As the students learn to work to together, the level of challenge increases and the team selects a Team Challenge to solve for competition.  Once the team has selected their Team Challenge, they must take charge of the solution.  Team Managers, teachers and community members may share their knowledge and skills but the team decides how instruction will be included in their solution, if at all. All Team Challenge solution ideas, materials, construction and presentation are owned and operated by the team members. 

Students learn to explore resources and develop solutions.
DI is all about the creative problem solving process and exploring solution possibilities.  Students learn different ways to generate ideas and ways to focus on the ones that will produce the desired outcome. 

Teams have three opportunities to present their creative problem solving skills at DI events.
This year all Montana teams may participate in their regional Instant Challenge Day, the Regional Tournament and the Montana State DI tournament.  First place teams at the Montana State Finals event will be invited to participate in the 2009 Destination ImagiNation Global Finals Tournament held in Knoxville, Tennessee.  Last year Montana sent six teams to Global Finals!

What’s NEW this year?

• Challenge A:  Operation Cooperation (mostly technical)
• Challenge B:  Instinct Messaging ( ½ technical – ½ performance)
• Challenge C:  ViDIo Lit Hits (mostly performance)
• Challenge D:  Private DI (Improv)
• Challenge E: A New Angle (Structure)
• Rising Stars: Hidden! (Non-competitive challenge for younger teams)
• project OUTREACH Challenge - TAKE CHARGE!

This challenge is a community outreach project open to Middle Level and Secondary Teams only.  If you are looking for a creative way to make a difference in your community, throw your hat into the ring for this challenge! 

For this Community Service Challenge your team will be required to design and carry out a Project to:

• Mobilize your peers to improve nutrition and fitness behaviors in schools.
• Increase availability and consumption of low-fat non-fat dairy, fruits, vegetables and whole grains in schools.
• Increase participation in physical activity before, during, or after school.

For the tournament project OUTREACH teams must:

• Make an entertaining Presentation that actively enlightens the public about the Project.
• Prepare an Exhibit to visually communicate the process and accomplishments of your implementation of the Project.
• Compile a Portfolio of the project to document the goals, research and process of your Project.
• Devise procedures on the spot for solving a “real-life” problem in the Simulation.
  Present one of the attached Instant Challenges to the students in your classroom. Divide the room into 4-6 person teams and have the teams solve the challenges.  Encourage outrageous (but classroom appropriate) solutions.  Teams should compare solutions…most creative solution wins!
  Have a 2008 team visit your school/classroom and share their DI experiences.  Have the team present an Instant Challenge that got them started.  Ask them how they chose which Team Challenge to solve and why.
  Stick to it!
  This year we will be using the theme “Stick to It!” to guide School Coordinators, Team Managers, and Teams through the program.  We know that students learn the DI creative problem-solving process at every meeting and event but the skills, success and fun increase with time in the program. Montana DI believes that more time does not need to mean more work so we will be providing tricks and incentives for students, schools, parents and sponsors that commit to DI and Stick to it! We’ll also be asking our continuing memberships and teams to share their secrets for sustaining the Destination ImagiNation program in their school. 
  If you have success stories (tricks) or ideas that didn’t pan out (sticky situations) to share, let us know!  Send your comments to connieackerman@comcast.net  Please let us know if we may use your name and story in the newsletter! We’re looking for forward to a great Montana Destination ImagiNation year!
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For a full preview of these challenges click here

Finding interest in your school or community program.


The truth is that most schools and after school programs do not encounter difficulties in generating interest in Destination ImagiNation with children.  Children enjoy DI related activities and challenges although some do not have the time or interest to make a commitment to participate on a Destination ImagiNation team. The best way to find out which children might be a good fit for DI is let them to take a short “test drive” and let them experience DI firsthand.  Below are a few suggestions for presenting DI to kids: 

Request a copy of the 2008 Destination ImagiNation Global Finals Video Highlights from the Montana Affiliate Directors. Read the 2008-09 Team Challenge descriptions and go over the “Points of Interest” with your students. Find out which challenges might have the most appeal to individual students and why. Be sure to make note of the students that show a lot of interest or better yet, have them sign up to receive more information and to be invited to a Destination ImagiNation information night. We’ll share ideas for setting up a parent/student information night in our September 29 Newsletter. If you have questions before that time, contact Heather Geiger at 406-285-3777 for more information on how to get started right away!