TWO GRANITE HILLS HIGH TEAMS WIN CA STATE COMPETITION

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Students Advance to Global Competition in May that Focuses on Creativity, Problem-Solving, Teamwork

El Cajon, CA – April 13, 2010 -- Two teams from Granite Hills High School won first place in events against 150 other teams from across California at the Destination ImagiNation (DI) State Finals in San Jose, CA, last Saturday, April 10. All thirteen students will now represent California in the Destination ImagiNation Global Finals at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in May, competing against over 1,000 teams from around the world.

 

Team “Not Yet” competed in the Structural Engineering Challenge called “Breaking DI News.” The students designed and built a structure made exclusively from newspaper and glue that would support as much weight as possible. Weighing just 23 grams, the team’s tubed structure held more than 600 pounds, giving it a weight-to-load ratio of 24, more than double their nearest competitor. The students also created a presentation to showcase their design. Team members are seniors Cassia Chesley, Elisia Bittner, Jennifer Mansfield, and John McCurry Schmidt; junior Thomas Andy Keller; and sophomores Thomas Rainey and Brian Guthrie.

 

Team “Effulgent Rigmarole” competed in a Transportation Challenge called “DIrect DIposit.” The students created a target locating system and equipment that successfully delivered objects to randomly assigned targets on the other side of a six-foot high barrier. They were the only team to hit every target and scored full points. The team also created a presentation to showcase their design. Team members are seniors Kevin Callaway and Chase Seninger; juniors Robin Anderson and Steven Nelissen; and sophomores Summer Parsons and Kaitlin Lafreniere.

 

Teams also compete in an “Instant Challenge,” a hands-on challenge that tests the team’s thinking on their feet, skills and teamwork. Instant challenge and team challenge scores are combined to determine overall winners at the tournaments.

 

Destination ImagiNation, Inc., is the world’s largest non-athletic team competition in the world. A non-profit organization, it offers students a unique opportunity to explore and discover unlimited creative potential in the areas of technology, industrial design, science, literature, fine arts and the performing arts. Visit the website http://www.dini.org  for more information about DI.
 

Granite Hills High School is one of 11 comprehensive high schools in the Grossmont Union High School District, and the only one in the East County region offering the Destination ImagiNation and International Baccalaureate diploma programs. The school has hosted DI teams for 15 years, winning 12 state competitions and winning at Global Finals twice, first in 2004 and again in 2007. For more information about Granite Hills High School or its DI program, visit http://granite.guhsd.net.
 


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