Local teams advancing to Destination Imagination finals

PORTALES — Twelve members of Lindsey-Steiner Elementary School's Gifted and Talented program stayed true to their namesake earlier this month after taking first place in challenges aimed at expanding their creativity.

The seven-member team, The Skittles, and the five-member Peptimisms each emerged victorious at the March 4 Albuquerque state competition of Destination Imagination, which gives students challenges to solve using collaboration and problem solving.

The Skittles won first place against seven teams in a fine arts challenge called "vanish," in which they had to make a certain color (in this case, orange) disappear by having it cross a border, according to 12-year-old Jolie Griffith.

"We decided, because one of our colors was supposed to cross a border in which your color vanishes, and because orange represents daring and disobedience, we decided to use that color," she said.

All teams in the competition had to integrate two "team choice elements" into their challenges, which in the case of the Skittles were a sunset backdrop made from cardboard and an orange skirt sewn by the team.

"Teamwork plays the biggest part when it comes to DI, I think, because when you're doing Destination Imagination, if you're not working as a team, you can't get everything worked out, and then when you go to perform, nobody's working together and it doesn't end up very well," said 11-year-old Skittles member Alyssa Neighbours.

The Peptimisms were the only team competing in the technical category, but Gifted and Talented teacher Katrina Prince said the team had "a very mean teacher (referring to herself) who informed them that if they did not have a solution that was win-worthy, they would not go."

The team was challenged to build a platform that could move a team member in any direction, so they created the illusion that team member Carissa Jouett, 12, was a levitating magician by inflating a concealed air mattress on which she was sitting.

The team choice elements didn't stop there, however. There was a giant hat that utilized electric light and a cardboard dragon that shot fireballs propelled by a miniature fan, elements which prompted the members to collaborate and ultimately strengthen their relationships.

"Sometimes, maybe you don't know someone that well, then they end up on your team, and after DI, you end up being friends," said 11-year-old Emily Crawford.

"Personally, it makes me feel special, because it's a fun, exhilarating experience that only certain people get to participate in," Malia Poyer, 11, said.

One requirement of the challenges was that they be a 100 percent student-run endeavor, the results of which Prince marveled at.

"The ability to learn to cooperate and collaborate is really important in their world. It just makes me really proud to watch them as they grow, and now these are life lessons they're going to be taking with them from now until forever more," she said.

The Peptimisms and The Skittles will be advancing to the Destination Imagination Global Finals May 24-27 in Knoxville, Tennessee.