Destination Imagination 2005 Global Team: Emmett Ruff, Griffin Larson, Danny Mauleon, Taeng Yang, Nou Thao, Shaeng Yang, Tou Nhia Khang Destination Imagination (DI) is an international creative problem solving competition.  Open School has had teams participating in it since the early nineties.  It is a competition which suits our students’ creative and independent streaks, since clockwise from top left: Miranda Byrne,Emily Shultz, Mark Dyson, Gus Olson-Stone, Arthur Minnerly, Chris McLean, with long-time Open School DI coach Greg Adams. Greg took the structure team to Globals in 2001, 2002, and 2003. no adult assistance is allowed.  Students are given fun, mostly technical problems, to solve and present in a skit, which they work on for several months. These could involve building a structure that weighed less Taeng turned out to be a master pin trader. Pin trading was a popular pastime at Globals, very much encouraged by the DI organization as a way to meet kids from other places in the country and world. than 6 paper clips but could hold 700 pounds or designing and building a robot to do specified tasks. The competition also involves an “instant challenge”  where students are given a problem at the event. St. Paul Schools have always had a strong DI program.  Thousands of students gather at Harding High School each spring to present their solutions at the East Metro competition.  Open School has always been well-represented at this competition, Shaeng, Danny, Nou, and Taeng answering the judges’ questions after the performance at Globals. Tom is listening in. with two to nine teams going on to the State competition each year.  Over the years Open School has sent seven teams representing Minnesota to international competitions (always held in the United States but involving countries from all over the world), Griffin placing weights on balsa and birch bridge he built at Global Competition. The team built a steamer out of a teakettle and 4 inch PVC pipe in order to bend the wood to make the arched bridge. the latest in 2005, our first middle school team ever to qualify.     Students wanting to become involved in DI should talk to James, Susanne, or Tom.