Photo Credit: CFISDEducation
Cypress Ranch HS, Sprague MS Destination Imagination teams win awards at Lone Star Finals
Destination Imagination (DI) teams from both Sprague Middle School and Cypress Ranch High School won special awards at the Lone Star Finals in Arlington on April 11.
It was an impressive showing overall for CFISD with nine different teams advancing to the Global Finals, which will be held in Kansas City, Missouri from May 21-24.
The Sprague team of Manav Rajashekar, Atharv Komirelly, Priyanka Chinta and Sivaharsan Selladurai, Cypress Problem Solvers, won the “Casting Shadows” challenge. They had two minutes to prepare a skit, while using props and shadows to enhance the skit. Their efforts wowed the judges, earning them the Renaissance Award for “their exceptional skill and preparation of their solution.” The team not only used cardboard props to create shadows, but they also made some of the shadows different colors using various props.
“This Sprague team was the epitome of teamwork, and they showcased the true spirit of Destination Imagination,” said Michele Krimsky, CFISD’s DI facilitator. “They brought together all the elements we expect to see–creativity, engineering, problem solving and teamwork. Walking into the room, the team was polite and personable. They were a joy to watch and represented CFISD so well.”
Remarkably, the Cypress Ranch team of Gitali Yempati, Saanvi Khare, Likhitha Pothireddy, Srinitha Pathala, Anwita Paleti and Vaishnavi Anand, The All-Stars, qualified for Globals in two separate categories. They finished second in the “Win it Big” challenge where they were tasked with creating their own game show. In the “Becoming Super” challenge, they used stage makeup and costumes for a skit that portrayed one character becoming a superhero and another turning into a villain. For that challenge, they finished third and won the DaVinci Award. It recognized the team for creating a rotating and moving background that fit perfectly with their story, which judges said, “was beyond anything they had seen at DI State from such a team.”
“The Cy Ranch team spent months preparing to compete in two different challenges, while juggling the demands of high school,” Krimsky said. “The team was a standout among appraisers and impressed the appraisers so much with their creativity, technical skills and amazing props.”
The Cypress Ranch team of Kayla Baba, Emily Fraser, Haley Griffin and Samantha Mosier,Team Ask Me, also earned a first-place finish in the “Casting Shadows” challenge.
All these teams have been working on their challenges since September. Krimsky said that the nine different teams advancing to Globals is the most CFISD has had in several years. The full list of advancing teams is below.
· Warner Elementary School (Inventive Warriors) – Advika Vemuru, Akshada Vemuru, Samyutha Bysani, Arjun Thomas and Vihaan Yarlagadda
· Warner Elementary School (Time Legends) – Samhita Teeka, Vihan Paleti, Ashita Tripathti, Akshaj Yempati, Anyra Shah and Aasha Ray
· Anthony Middle School (The Steminists) – Zaara Mishra, Saanvika Ravula, Akshara Salunke and Viviana Baron
· Smith Middle School (Ideas R us) – Anika Dixit, Archit Navale, Gautham Badam, Ayra Dhingra, Akshara Pothireddy and Riya Deshpande
· Smith Middle School (Stellar Squad) – Nikhita Raavi, Anshi Putcha, Anvi Putcha, Anagha Vemuru, Stuti Vittal, Bethel Binoj and Trisha Arun
· Sprague Middle School (Cypress Problems Solvers) – Manav Rajashekar, Atharv Komirelly, Priyanka Chinta and Sivaharsan Selladurai
· Bridgeland High School (The Athenas) – Avantika Chinta, Shresta Pendurti, Sreenidhi Sudhakar, Aditi Thaduri, Richa Raja and Shrinidhi Jayaprasad
· Cypress Ranch High School (Team Ask Me) – Kayla Baba, Emily Fraser, Haley Griffinand Samantha Mosier
· Cypress Ranch High School (The All-Stars) – Gitali Yempati, Saanvi Khare, Likhitha Pothireddy, Srinitha Pathala, Anwita Paleti and Vaishnavi Anand
Source: CFISD
