WB_021419

4 | February 14, 2019 | The wilmette beacon NEWS
wilmettebeacon.com
Students flex mental muscle, build confidence at STEM event
Alexa Burnell
Freelance Reporter
More than 250 Wilmette
children spent Saturday,
Feb. 9, celebrating Science,
Technology, Engineering,
Art and Math at
Highcrest Middle School.
The students were participating
in the Destination
Imagination tournament,
flexing their mental
muscle while building confidence
and friendships
along the way.
Destination Imagination
is a global, educational
nonprofit, dedicated to inspiring
the next generation
of innovators, leaders and
creative problems solvers.
For the past 12 weeks,
groups of youngsters
around town have been
working hard to develop a
presentation surrounding a
specific set of constraints
and requirements given to
them through DI.
Groups are led by parent
volunteers, who are
faced with the challenging
task of simply guiding students,
without giving any
adult-led direction.
Along with presenting
their planned performance,
children were faced with a
spontaneous, “instant challenge,”
where kids were
asked by the judges to
solve a problem in a short
amount of time. They had
to rely on one another to
get the job done, again,
without any parent guidance.
Phoebe Carleton, parent
voluntter of the “Taco
Cats,” a team comprised
of fourth-grade students
from Baker Demonstration
School and McKenzie Elementary,
explained how
the program prepares kids
for real world experiences,
and also stresses the importance
of teamwork and
collaboration.
“DI teaches kids real life
skills. They have to work
together with their peers,
navigate constraints and
obstacles, and rely on one
another to develop a plan
and a solution,” Carleton
said. “What I have witnessed
over the months of
working with these kids
has been amazing; they
naturally fell into different
roles within the group and
worked cooperatively to
develop their strategy and
plan.”
Over the years, DI
has grown in popularity,
thanks to Wilmette’s Emily
Paris, mother of two
McKenzie Elementary students
and regional tournament
director. Due to her
dedication and tenacity,
this was the first time the
tournament was held in
Wilmette, because of the
large number of participants
from the area.
“When I first started on
this journey in 2015, we
had four teams from Wilmette.
Today, I’m proud
to say we have a total of
70 teams competing from
Wilmette,” Paris said.
“The interest has grown
leaps and bounds, making
Wilmette a natural host location
for the tournament.”
Paris’s dedication stems
The Potato Chips team, from McKenzie Elementary,
competes in the Rising Stars Pop Up division at the
Destination Imagination tournament Saturday, Feb.
9, at Highcrest Middle School in Wilmette. Carlos
Alvarez/22nd Century Media
from the growth she has
witnessed from the participating
students.
“What I have witnessed
in my own children and the
other children participating,
is outstanding. Their
social skills and ability to
collaborate and problem
solve in all facets of life
have markedly improved,”
Paris said.
Full story at Wilmette-
Beacon.com.
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