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BOURBON - Four teams from Triton Schools will head to the Destination Imagination regional competition in Bunker Hill on Feb. 26.
The teams represent students in grades one through high school, the most diverse group Triton has ever had, according to Triton primary coach Lisa Eiser.
It's also the largest number of teams Triton has ever sent to competition.
Destination Imagination is the new name for what was formerly called the Odyssey of the Mind program. Destination Imagination is an international program for young people from kindergarten to college age that challenges them to solve problems creatively.
"It's a creative thinking-problem-solving organization," said Triton High School student Andrea Zentz.
Tim Speicher, freshman, said the organization sends out different synopses and each team must pick one of them to base a short play on. The play must be within a certain time limit and requirements must be met.
"I like it because I got to write a lot of music for it on the keyboard," Speicher said.
Josh Disher said, "I like it because we get to create stuff."
"I like to act. It's fun," said Travis Slone.
The most challenging aspect of the competition, said Kylie Edmonds, freshman, is, "Sometimes there's different ideas about what should be done." There's also the challenge of not goofing off, she said.
Edmonds said that while they are optimistic, "we just want to do our best."
"We're the underdogs this year," Speicher said, "because we're the youngest in our (division)." The senior high school team is made up of all freshmen.
As part of the group's requirements, they can't use words - spoken, written or sung.
"We use music to give emotion," Zentz said, as a way to convey what is going on in the play.
Edmonds said, "We have to portray five senses in some way. It has to be in six minutes or less and we can't spend more than $100."
If the team wins regional competition Feb. 26, they then go to state in April. After state, they would face world competition in May.
What have they learned from their months of preparation, hours of brainstorming and practice?
"Cooperation," said Zentz. "Learning that other people have their ideas."
Ryan Schori said, "I found it a challenge this year because you couldn't write anything on paper. You had to memorize it."
Members of the senior high school team include Schori, Zentz, Edmonds, Speicher, Josh Disher and Slone.
Seventh-graders make up the entire junior high team. Members of that team include Jana Sell, Megan Weissert, Ben Speicher, David Gabhart, Ann Smith, Kellie Rettinger and Betsy Price.
Except for two students, most of the junior high team members are returning from last year. And they notice slight differences in competition this year.
"There's different problems," said Gabhart. "There are a lot more requirements you have to meet."
The best part about the competition, one member said, is that "team members are the only ones who can do anything. The parents can't take over."
For their problem-solving challenge, Smith said, they have to explain how one creature adopts another, the conflicts they have and how they resolve those conflicts. A North African Pangolin and a South African penguin must learn to live together. And that, Gabhart said, is the most challenging aspect of this year's competition.
The team, like all of the other teams, will face instant challenges, where the team members will have to think on their feet.
The more creative the answers, the more points they will receive.
The elementary team is taking on a different problem-solving adventure.
"This year," said Audrey Speicher, fifth-grader, "We have 12 different people we have to study, like Einstein. We have to study 12 different time periods, like Solidarity in Poland and the Great Depression. When we get to competition, we draw out of a bag a person, a time period and a fictional person. We draw out a conflict. We have to use a household product."
They have 30 minutes to prepare and six minutes to perform a skit.
The challenge, at least for Audrey, was the "sitting and researching for two hours."
"They said it wouldn't take a lot of time to do the research, but it took forever," said Candace Gabhart, fifth-grader.
"We don't have as much time to prepare" compared to last year, said Blake Schori, fourth-grader. "It's a month earlier."
Members on the elementary team include Cole Eiser, grade five; Taryn Cooper, grade three; Lance George, fourth; Schori; Matt Zelt, fifth; Gabhart and Speicher.
Members of the primary team include Lacey George, second grade; Amanda Holewinski, second; Renee Baker, third; Race Berkey, third; Thomas Eiser, first; Molly Kauffman, first; and Dakota Imel, first.
The story of their skit, Kauffman said, is, "The Story of Rabbits and Cheetahs, or How Not to Get Eaten."
Kauffman and Imel liked singing for the skit the most.
"The funnest part is making the props," Eiser said.
Berkey said, "We learned that we don't always get it our way."
Coaches for the teams include Lisa Eiser, Linda Bowdler, Jennita Speicher and Diana Westphal.
