Highland Park ISD students imagined their way to top finishes this February in a competition that challenged them to use their creativity and critical thinking skills to problem-solve.
The students found solutions to STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) based dilemmas during the regional Destination Imagination tournament, which was held in Carrollton on Feb. 21.
The #Huskies from Hyer Elementary won first place in the Becoming Super/Fine Arts Challenge and will represent their school at the state tournament in April. In the team’s superhero and supervillain origin story, a plane accidentally dropped radioactive slime on a farmer and turned him into a supervillain, the King of Sludge. The farm animals persuaded another farmer to be their desperately needed superhero, Farmgirl Fury.
The members of the #Huskies were third-graders Jack Sontag, Evelyn Howe, Avery Layman, Conrad Clark, John Wall, and Jack Lavelle. Their team manager was Misty Wall.
The Dragon Dreamers from Highland Park Middle School brought home a win in the DI eXtreme Challenge for the Middle Level. They received their challenge and materials on competition day. Without any costumes, props, or real way to prepare, they had to rely entirely on teamwork to achieve success.
The members of the Dragon Dreamers were seventh-graders Emily Kerr, Alina Manhas, Violet Rockow, and Olivia Stanwood. Their team manager was Amanda Rockow. The Dragon Dreamers placed third at the state competition last year, and will represent HPISD at the contest again in April.
The Potato Pandas from Boone Elementary placed second in the Scientific Category. In their performance, a kitty at an adoption center realized that a bird she saw in a cage was actually her kitty friend being kidnapped. The team designed and created a giant spinning birdcage using a pulley system.
The members of the Potato Pandas were third-graders Caden Brown, Clara Droege, Emily Sutton, George Betancourt, Parth Manhas, and Vivienne Rosas. Their team manager was Atisha Manhas.
Boone Elementary’s Peanut Butter & Jellyfish Sandwiches finished in the top ten in the highly-competitive Technical Challenge. The team created a game show led by Poseidon, who took contestants through a series of challenges: the angelfish, swordfish, and catfish with an identity crisis (who thought she was a dogfish). The team’s technical design elements included 3D holograms, pulley systems, and camouflage effects.
The members of the Peanut Butter & Jellyfish Sandwiches were fourth-graders Lucy Jones, Addy Harrison, Mason Wright, Bryson Hall, Rohan Singh, and Brij Shori. Their team manager was Chandrika Shori.
The Stuntsmen proudly represented Hyer Elementary in the Helping Hands/Early Learning challenge. They wrote a script, designed a set, and constructed costumes to tell the story of a robot chef who caught fire and needed to be rescued by two firemen and an electrician.
The team included second-graders Simon Robbins, Warner Clark, Sammy Morrison, Ace Narayanan, William Bagby, and Charlie Sontag. Their team manager was Sharon Clark.
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