What an amazing night in Ravenna! We were invited out to learn a little about a group of young people who have earned their way into representing Muskegon County in an international competition being held in Istanbul Turkey for an organization called Destination Imagination. From the Destination Imagination website – ” The Destination Imagination global community is united by a core belief that when students have the freedom to grow and collaborate without boundaries, their confidence explodes and the world opens up to them in new ways. We enable this transformation by providing challenges rooted in STEAM subjects that inspire unique solutions through the use of the creative process.” Let’s meet the team along with Advisor Tammi Kantola.
Let’s begin with the incredible opportunity for these young people to visit one of the oldest cities in the world. Istanbul is a city that’s 2600 years old and still reflects all of the era’s that have ruled it since BC. It’s a major cultural center of the world and for the efforts this team has put in to win the opportunity to attend, you can see their dedication to this event and organization is real. Helping young people develop leadership skills, team working ability, problem solving and hands on solutions is the goal and some of these young people have been a part of Destination Imagination since as young as the 3rd grade. This is truly a once in a lifetime experience that these kids have earned and to get to help share their story, is truly an honor.
In our video today, you’ll get to meet the team and see them perform a challenge they could face in the competition. The example they have in this video is to move marbles into a bottle without crossing a line. They are given some simple tools to use and a set of very specific instructions that I challenge you to listen to, and see what you’d come up with. Once the instructions are given, we do speed up the video for you so you can see the young minds get to work in a hurry. They are wonderfully creative, collaborative and set an example for most grownup’s on how to work together.
It’s not a freebie. Each student is $3000 bucks to make it happen and let me tell ya, it’s been an all hands on deck effort in Ravenna to help make it happen. Recycle drives. Pasty sales. A quit raffle and so many other fundraisers have gone on. Some funding has come in in the form of grants and donations have been helpful from the community too. We’re here asking you to do your part if you can. Helping provide opportunities for younger people like this add so much to our community and our future. Their exposure to other young people from across the world is so much more valuable to their education than a dollar amount can be placed on. Some districts are much more well heeled and it’s a lot easier to make happen. A small rural school like Ravenna needs a hand from all of us, and yes…like any other district in Muskegon County… we are their advocates, believers and stand behind them.
If you can help… here’s how you can. EMAIL TAMMI KANTOLA or JESSICA RUSSELL. They are trying to avoid the traditional crowd funding sites to avoid paying the %. You can make a donation by sending a check to RAVENNA PUBLIC SCHOOLS – DESTINATION IMAGINATION – 12322 STAFFORD STREET, RAVENNA MI 49451.
The kids head out March 1st for this incredible once in a lifetime learning experience. Please, if you can, pitch in and help them out.
