Gonzaga Prep Destination Imagination team to compete globally

On its surface, the story has nothing to do with science.

Catherine Carter, a 14-year-old freshman at Gonzaga Preparatory School, plays a young woman tempted by the sirens’ call of collectivism, represented by a sloth. The sloth, played by freshman Joel Myers, spends much of his time sitting in a fake tree, camouflaged behind yarn dipped in candle wax, making extravagant promises of support.

Whenever Carter is faced with a challenge, she turns to her would-be ally, the sloth, only to find him missing. Ultimately, Carter realizes she can’t rely on the fickle sloth. Instead, she learns she has to fend for herself.

“When we were thinking about our story, we wanted something symbolic,” said Giulia Smith, 15.

Smith is a member of Gonzaga Prep’s Destination Imagination team. The five-person team recently won the Washington state Destination Imagination competition and is headed to Knoxville, Tennessee, to compete at the global level.

Destination Imagination is an international program that asks teams to blend STEM education with the arts and social entrepreneurship. Teams can choose from a list of seven main challenge areas. Some areas focus more on science, while others focus more on drama and presentation. How teams address their topic is entirely up to them, said Mike Carroll, the Gonzaga Prep team’s coach. Carroll has been coaching the school’s Destination Imagination teams for 25 years.

The competition encourages creative thinking and problem-solving, he said.

“My job is to get them to think what other people think and then think something different,” he said.

The Gonzaga Prep team selected the science category. As part of the category, they were told they had to research an animal that camouflages itself. They then had to camouflage a team member and a set piece.

As they were brainstorming ideas, they came across sloths. Sloths move so slowly that algae will grow on them, Carter said. The team then integrated facts about sloths and their natural environments into the dialogue of the eight-minute play. Additionally, the team had to design a weight-bearing branch for the sloth to sit on.

The open-ended nature of the competition forces teams to learn how to work together, Carroll said.

“Team dynamics are a big part of this,” he said. “Only half the problem is on paper.”

During the competition, the team is asked to show their presentation. However, another part of the competition requires the team to solve problems on the fly with only three to five minutes to prepare. Those problems range from engineering feats to acting.

“We have to work on getting through the ideas quickly,” said Ilina Logani, 16.

Teams are responsible for coming up with their own ideas. Carroll said he can guide them but can’t direct them, something he finds difficult. Instead, he said, he focuses on helping them brainstorm ideas and develop good group chemistry. Additionally, Logani said if any idea is presented by anyone outside the team, they can’t use that idea.

At the international competition, the Gonzaga Prep team will compete against roughly 80 other teams. Destination Imagination started in 1982. Seven challenges are released per year. Teams are evaluated on their creativity, quality and the integration of science.

“I’ve honestly learned so much, partially about teamwork and also a lot about dividing and conquering,” Smith said.