A team of students from grades three and four at École Côte du Soleil, Powell River’s public francophone school, recently travelled to Surrey to compete in the Destination Imagination provincial tournament.
Destination Imagination is a non-profit organization which teaches the creative process to children around the world. Led by a team manager, participants learn patience, flexibility, persistence, respect for others and their ideas, and the collaborative problem-solving process all while having fun.
After finishing first in their category at the regional tournament hosted by Henderson Elementary School in March, Les Pommes Grenades were invited to the provincial tournament.
The team, comprised of Elly Dimond, Ethan Taylor, Aubrey Sharp, Inti Bergeron, Rafael Reghelin, Grace Gaudreau and Emily Ellis, had been preparing for its team challenge and an unknown instant challenge for several months. The entire team challenge is produced by the students, from brainstorming ideas through to implementation. For the team challenge, Les Pommes Grenades created and performed a non-verbal play, complete with props, sets, costumes, masks and music. The instant challenge is only revealed to the team and team manager at the time of performance and is different at each tournament. The team signs a contract to keep the instant challenge a secret until after the global finals at the end of May.
Les Pommes Grenades placed fourth in their category in Surrey, one place short of qualifying for the global tournament held in Knoxville, Tennessee. After an action-filled weekend, the students returned to school with an unforgettable experience and their sights set on Knoxville for next year.
