SSMS DI Teams RACK In Awards During Mesquite Tournament
SSMS had a great weekend at the East Region Destination Imagination Tournament in Mesquite. Advancing teams will compete with teams from all over Texas at the Lone Star Finals in Arlington on March 25-26.
The Technical team won 1st place, High Instant Challenge, and DaVinci Creativity Award and will be advancing to State. The Technical Challenge this year was called “A Daring Escape” and required to build 2 devices that use technical methods to overcome hazards, create and present a story about a daring escape from a hazardous situation, and include a feat of skill that helps in the daring escape. The Technical Team is coached by Bryan Cole and Kelly Shutt and consists of Nathan Bilyeu, Austin Wantland, Cara Batterton, Hayden McCoy, Sawyer Shutt, Hannah Speed, and Tyler Scott.
The Scientific team won 1st place and High Instant Challenge and will be advancing to State. The Scientific Challenge this year was called “Up Close” and required teams to research the science of microscopy, create and present a story about a character who encounters and mysterious object while in a microworld, design and build scenery that brings the microworld to life, and design and create a visual effect that enhances the mysterious object then reveals it with technical methods. The Scientific team is coached by Brooke Howard and consists of Kannon Gibson, Luke White, Anderson Grimes, Abbey Williams, Lucy McKenzie, Jackson Palmer, and Kessler Moss.
The Fine Arts team won 1st place and High Instant Challenge and will be advancing to State. The Fine Arts Challenge this year was called “Tricky Tales” and required the team to research trickster characters and how they have been portrayed in literature, theater film or mythology, create and present a story about a trickster who attempts to overcome a tricky situation, design and create a costume that goes through a costume transformation, design and create an illusion that enhances the story. The Fine Arts team is coached by Adrienne Lilley and Beth Cole and consists of Brooks Burgin, Claire Monk, Paige Batterton, Piper Lilley, Sara Ferguson, Johni McClung, and Tabitha Cummings.
The Improv team won 1st place and High Instant Challenge and will be advancing to State. The Improv Challenge was called “Festival Frenzy” and required teams to research festivals from around the world, create and present a 2-act improvisational skit about a goal a character is trying to achieve at a festival, choose between two options to help the character to attempt to achieve the goal and enhance the skit with a set of boxes. The Improv team is coached by Jeffery Denton and consists of Rhett Williams, Robert Denton, Jessica Reed, Kegan Edwards, Zackary Young, and Kyla Navarro.
The Engineering Team won 4th place at Regionals this year. The Engineering Challenge was called “Roll With It” and required teams to design and build a structure that can roll down a ramp and collide with the structure tester, test the structure by placing weights on it, create and present a story about how a character becomes a legend, and design and build a rotating device that is integrated into the story. The Engineering team was coached by Alysia Butler and Gerson Salvatoreh and consists of Justin Chen, Anthony Small, Julie Ann McCoy, Aiken Grimes, Tyler Dubose, Grace Dyer, and Kaden Pierce.
