Destination Imagination Teams Win Awards at State Tournament

Three Lakeland Central School District teams won awards at the recent New York State Destination Imagination Tournament held at the Union-Endicott High School in Binghamton. Meanwhile, the Walter Panas High School team, Outside the Crayon Box, qualified for the Global Finals.

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Lakeland Copper Beech Middle School

Lakeland Copper Beech Middle School's team, The MicroBursts, also won their Instant Challenge, and finished second in the state. They were taking part in Challenge B, Wind Visible, at the middle level. Team members include Dylan Coleman, Lauren Feeley, Brianne Laughlin, Robert Mack, Jenna Pressman, Taylor Reilly, and Trevor Straub. Team managers are Karen Pressman and Tricia Straub.

Walter Panas High School

Competing in Challenge B, Wind Visible, at the secondary level, the team from Walter Panas, finished less than three points out of first and was selected to compete at the Global Finals in Knoxville, Tennessee. Additionally, the team was the only team to win a special Renaissance Award. 

The team is composed of Cathy Faruolo, Eleanor Maloney, Anthony Montana, Cara Murray, and Matt Swift. The team managers are Linda Swift and Ida Wise-Murray. The award "recognizes those among us who demonstrate extraordinary amounts of effort and preparation or outstanding skill in engineering design or performance."

Lincoln-Titus Elementary School

Competing at the state finals in Challenge A, In the Zone, at the elementary level, Lincoln-Titus Elementary School's The Brain Train won their Instant Challenge. Members of the team include Mathew Chisholm, Peter Christoforatos, Benjamin Feraca, Jaime Griffin, Samantha Kayo, William Salerno, and Gianna Salerno. The team managers are Kathy and Nick Christoforatos.

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At the tournament, awards were given for first place in the Instant Challenge portion of the competition, as well as, for the overall winners in six different challenges and at three levels (elementary, middle, high school). The competition includes two parts, the main challenge and the Instant Challenge. The teams choose their challenge in the fall and work on it until presenting before a panel of judges at the regional level. The Instant Challenge portion of the competition requires students to think and act quickly. It tests the team's teamwork, and as shown in the name, can be very challenging.

The three teams qualified for the state finals at the regional competition held at Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry at the end of March.

Destination Imagination is the world's largest non-profit, volunteer-driven organization devoted to helping kids gain practical life skills through interesting, entertaining, and mind-boggling challenges. Teams of five to seven students organize and choose their challenge out of six different options starting in the fall. They then work for months honing their solution.

Volunteer team managers (parents, teachers or community volunteers) facilitate the group, but cannot give technical or other assistance.