Forget the Winter Olympics, Nashoba Destination Imagination knows how to bring home the  gold… or the DaVinci Award. The team of students has been busy attending competitions for the past couple weekends. First was Regionals, where they performed their instant challenge; they then moved on to States at WPI and finally to globals. It’s safe to say this DI team is dedicated and focused on winning it all and bringing home the gold.

The Massachusetts Destination Imagination program was developed by Barbra Mann in 1999. According to the official DI website, the program “is a non-profit, volunteer-led, cause-driven organization. Our purpose is to inspire and equip students to become the next generation of innovators and leaders.” Destination Imagination is an organization that focuses on teaching leadership, communication, teamwork and creativity.

The Nashoba DI team consists of Robert Lenox-Pulgarian, Jesse Duggan, Mariana Sardella, Kristina MacLure,  JoJo Enzmann and Magen and Kali Cook. Most of the members have been participating in DI competitions for at least nine years and can attest to the commitment and effort required. “The final week before competition was cram week. That is when we pulled everything together and practiced,” says Kristina MacLure.

This champion team didn’t start out a champion team, in fact they were two teams that came together. “We were two teams that became one. We realized that our individual talents and skills were complementary to each other and together we would be able to form a very competitive strong team,” says Magen Cook. “When we get together and know we have to get things done, well we do. I think it is the fact that we do work so well together and can bounce off ideas with one another and are all able to help no matter what skill is required,” adds Cook.

Nashoba DI has attended Regionals and States so far this season and it just gets more challenging from there as the number of teams attending increases. At every competition the teams must solve a given problem and are judged based on their ideas and props. According to MacLure, the problem was a scientific challenge that had to be set in an extreme and unsurvivable environment.

The solution they chose was connected to true history and something everyone could understand. “We chose the textile factories of the 1800s. We were required to make a gear that would help us survive in our environment. We had a blue light to keep us awake longer and a fan that sucked in the cotton fibers from the air,” says MacLure.

After performing their instant challenge at States, Nashoba DI won the DaVinci award, not that they expected anything less. According to Robert, “A DaVinci is the highest award a team can win and it solidifies what we have all believed for years, that we are an exceptional team that is exceptionally well rounded and creative.” Magen agrees, “I was proud to say that our whole team contributed to the award.” After taking home the DaVinci award and coming this far, the entire Nashoba community has very high expectations for the DI team concerning the upcoming global competition.