Staff Writer
CARIBOU — The Destination Imagination participants of Teague Park Elementary School and the Hilltop Elementary School outdid themselves this year as the four teams put together four outstanding presentations; one team even placed fourth during the regional competition on April 10. The teams have been honing their imaginative skills since January.
Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet
Brainiac Katie Tardiff artistically portrayed to her audience at Teague Park what a stomped VHS looks like.
The Caribou Destination Imagination teams joined other teams from eastern and northern Maine at Eastern Maine Community College in Bangor for a full day.
“During competition day, every student participated, they spoke and shared their ideas,” said Caribou Gifted and Talented Teacher Beth Alden, “they were all very supportive of each other, listening to each other’s answers, and no one person dominated the discussion.”
The two second-grade teams — or the Rising Stars group in Destination Imagination speak — were given a challenge called “weighty news” where the only items they could use were tape and newspaper to make something that could hold weight.
The third- through fifth-grade students participated in different challenges: one team undertook the challenge of creating an entirely improvisational skit using three key terms given to them on competition day and ten minutes of prep-time.
Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet
Left, Nic Sleeper, front left, portrays an arrogant person as he speaks with Paige O’Bar during their Destination Imagination skit. Behind them, Jordan Theriault, Dagan Savage and Hope Shea wait for their cues.
The other team, who’s imaginations took them to the regional competition, spent the past few months preparing a skit that showcased a character who underwent a personality change from the beginning of the skit to the end. Competition requirements also stipulated the use of a puppet, an the Teague Park team learned electric skills to make their robot light up when it spoke.
Destination Imagination student participants hone their skills in math, science, public speaking, writing, researching, problem solving and team work.
Alden’s favorite part of competition day was watching the students interact with the judges during the question and answer portion of the event.
“”After the students finished their skits, the judges interviewed them to make sure that they did all the work, and the see the students naswer the judges questions was just amazing,” Alden said. “They were articulate and confident and had high-quality answers.”
Ciara Richards, Steven Courchene, and Camden Dumont acted out their award winning skit for a Teague Park audience on April 9.
The Teague Park “Brainiacs” included from left, front row: Madison Jandreau, Paige O’Bar, Hope Shea and Katie Tardiff. Back row: Jordan Theriault, Gabe Rand, Jacob Ouellette, Dagan Savage and Nic Sleeper.
Contributed photo
Rising Stars of Hilltop Elementary included, from left, front row: Shelby Barnes, Meghann Collins and Madison Stratton. Second row: Owen Martin, Parker Deprey, Damien Theriault and Hayden Hunter. Third row: coaches Kim and Travis Barnes.
Hilltop Elementary students participating in the Destination Imagination challenges included, from left, Taylor Paddelford, Paige Espling, Jay Belanger, Benoit Levesque, Brandyn Matheson and Alya Theriault. The students were coached by Jenny and Shane Theriault, not pictured.
