Herald
The Charmichael Middle School Destination Imagination team is heading to a global competition in Knoxville, Tenn., on May 19. The team “Six Ellas and a Fella” are, from left, Casey Tucker, 14, Brionna Butz, 14, Kaylee Butz, 13, Sam Neidhold, 14, Danica Marlin, 13, Ashley Butz, 14, and Faith Taylor.
Oh yeah, they're excited.
The plane ride! Staying in the dorms! Trading pins with other kids from around the world!
Two teams of students from Richland are going to the Destination Imagination Global Finals in Tennessee later this month to compete in challenges that test their creativity and quick-thinking.
They couldn't stop smiling last week as they talked about their upcoming trip. The hard work they've done to earn their spots has been worth it, they said.
"(Destination Imagination) brings us all together as a team," said Danica Marlin, 13, from the Carmichael Middle School team.
"We're learning good skills, like working together ..." added teammate Brionna Butz, 14.
"... With people that we love," said Casey Tucker, 14, finishing her pal's sentence.
The two teams -- from Carmichael and Badger Mountain Elementary -- qualified for Global Finals by winning recent regional and state Destination Imagination meets.
The program encourages kids to think outside the box in solving problems. They spend months on one challenge -- proving or debunking a myth for the Carmichael team and creating an obstacle course for the Badger students -- and also must solve another challenge on the spot in competition.
The students started working on their challenges last fall, logging several hours each week. They had to dream up and craft how they'd present their work themselves, with no help from adults.
"I'm so proud of them," said Theresa Neidhold, Carmichael's team manager. George and Lori Chin manage the Badger team.
For the teams, it's been a family affair. Neidhold and the Chins each have a child on their teams. There also are three sisters on the Carmichael team and one family -- the Marlins -- has one child on each team.
The Richland students are the only ones from the Tri-Cities going to Global Finals, though some students from another district did qualify, leaders said.
Team parents said it's been great to watch their kids shine through the program.
"It's nice to see there are other competitions out there, where you don't have to be athletic, you don't have to be the brain, and you can go on to do wonderful things," said Liz Taylor, one of the Carmichael moms.
The students met at Badger Mountain last week and talked about the trip. The Carmichael students brought a clock tower prop they use during their presentation. They made it from soda cans.
The Badger Mountain kids set up an obstacle course they built from wood, cardboard and other materials. They made a radio-controlled car buzz through it with ease, powering up hills and even jumping a gap of several inches.
The students will spend the next couple of weeks cramming in as much practice as possible. And getting more and more excited.
"At globals, they have a lot of stuff to do," said Jackson Chin, 11, from the Badger Mountain team. "It's also fun to see what other people come up with, how they solved the problem in their own way."
The Carmichael team includes: Brionna Butz, Ashley Butz, Kaylee Butz, Danica Marlin, Sam Neidhold, Casey Tucker and Faith Taylor.
The Badger team includes: Joel Meinert, Wyatt Schuldheiss, Dane Marlin, James Waller, Jackson Chin, Brooks Watson and Scotty Clements.
The competition is May 21-24.
Traveling money
The students need about $1,500 each to make the trip. People can send donations to 159 Hills West Way, Richland, WA 99352.
Checks should be made out to Tri-Cities -- Washington Imagination Network.
A car wash fundraiser is planned from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Richland Ace Hardware, 103 Keene Road.
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