The team West Windsor Kids recently participated in Destination Imagination, an international creative problem solving competition for children up to grade 12. They competed at the elementary level (K to fifth grade). The team managers for West Windsor Kids are Michael Donnelly and Maggie Stevens.##M:[more]##
Stevens, a teacher at the Cherry Tree Club in West Windsor, is currently pursuing her master of education degree at Rutgers University. Donnelly, a former intellectual property attorney, has become Mr. Mom to his four daughters, ages 2 to 13. He also recently ran for a seat on the WW-P Board of Education.
“Whenever the kids don’t need me, I volunteer for something,” says Donnelly. “This program (based in Glassboro) is really good for the kids.”
The team members are Kelly Donnelly, Reva Grover, and Leah Churinskas, all in kindergarten at Maurice Hawk; Cole Williams and Isabelle Levatino, kindergarten students at Dutch Neck; and David Churinskas, a second grader at Maurice Hawk).
The teams select one of five main challenges that focus on one or more skills such as technical design and construction, strategic planning, theater arts, improv, research, and teamwork. Teams also perform an instant challenge which they only learn of at the time of competition. “At this age their attention span is short,” says Donnelly. “We try to chew it up and give it to them in little pieces.”
The West Windsor Kids selected challenge B “CSI:DI” where they had to create a mystery story with a beginning, middle, and an end. The story needed to include a shadowy character, whose motives seem unclear at first; a colorful character, whose personality was full of interest and/or variety; and a Gadget which utilized a property of light and either revealed or analyzed a piece of physical evidence.
The team’s solution was “The Case of Missing Missing” in which a bunny named Missing is missing and Missing’s friends had to find her. The story starts and ends at a disco party, includes frog detectives, cannon, outer space, rainbow squirrels, and a magic bridge.
The group met at least weekly from November until the March 24 competition. The children also worked outside of the group to perform experiments involving light and costume design. The team created their own homemade disco ball, costumes, scenery, and props.
