Photo courtesy of Shauna Hard.
From left: Wiley Cooper, Heather Phillips, Patton Hahn, Banks Tessier, James Hard and Frederic Smith.
A group of fourth-grade students from Crestline Elementary recently competed in the Global Destination Imagination Tournament in Knoxville, Tennessee. Wiley Cooper, Patton Hahn, James Hard, Frederic Smith and Banks Tessier made up the group named the Meme Team. The Meme Team is the first team from Mountain Brook to compete at the Global level in the Destination Imagination Tournament. The team was led by Heather Phillips, a PAGE teacher at Crestline Elementary.
The Meme Team won both the regional as well as the state competition in their category to qualify for Globals. Over 20 countries and 8,000 students competed in the Global Competition.
The Meme Team ranked Top 20 in the Instant Challenge category, which is an “innovation under pressure” task. They competed against teams from around the world as they were required to engage in quick, creative and critical thinking. The challenge was given in a private room with judges and no time for preparation as the group worked within a time constraint to deliver the best possible solution.
The Meme Team also fared very well in the Meme Event, where they presented their solution to a community need. The Meme Team worked hard during the school year to create a “Maker Cart” that is used during Exploration time by the fourth-grade classes at Crestline Elementary. The Maker Cart was created by the group to inspire innovation and includes many functional items like batteries, wires, lightbulbs, pipe cleaners, Legos and straws to name a few. The Meme Team created online tutorials accessible during Exploration time to teach students how to use the Maker Cart to make lightbulbs light, to make motors move, and how to use the items in general to create individual masterpieces from ordinary items.
The Maker Cart will be used for years to come at Crestline Elementary, and the opportunity to compete in the Global Destination Imagination Tournament was an experience like no other. The Destination Imagination mission is to develop opportunities that inspire the global community of learners to utilize diverse approaches in applying 21st century skills and creativity.
– Submitted by Shauna Hard.
