GILL — Six sixth graders from Gill Elementary have been invited to Knoxville, Tenn., in late May to attend the global finals for Destination Imagination.
The program is heavy on science, technology, engineering and math — disciplines sometimes grouped together under the term STEM.
Every year, Gill Elementary has students compete at the regional and state levels, but this is the first time students from the school have qualified for globals.
As a team, the youths have been working on engineering challenges since October. The team built two freestanding structures from balsa wood and glue, the goal being to have the lightest structures that could hold the most weight. The sixth-grade team’s structure held 535 pounds and weighed 48 grams, according to David Grout, who runs the program at Gill and advises this team.
Grout said the competition teaches skills that kids may not learn in a classroom. He was a participant as a student and then a judge of the competition before he established the program four years ago at Gill, where he teaches sixth grade.
“I know absolutely that my brain is the way it is because I did this program,” Grout said.
Grout said the program offers a way to learn through experience, rather than by memorizing facts or math equations. Also, the competitions teach students to work together to reach a goal, and that failure is healthy and can be positive.
“They learn that, knowing that my role contributes to a team outcome, not an individual outcome,” he said.
The team members echoed those sentiments.
“I have learned that if you make a mistake it’s OK to start over,” Pearl Schatz-Allison, 11, said. “I have also learned to work together as a team and listen to everyone’s ideas.”
The global competition involves a duct tape costume competition.
Grout said the program often has more kids interested than adult volunteers who are able to manage teams. He said if adults are interested in volunteering with a team, to contact him at david.grout@gmrsd.org.
The team is comprised of three boys and three girls, and the school has several other teams as well.
The team is fundraising for the trip, having raised $5,200 toward a $7,200 goal as of Tuesday night. Those interested in donating can find the school’s GoFundMe page at gofundme.com/gillDI or mail or drop off a check at the school in the care of the team.
Reach Miranda Davis at
413-772-0261, ext. 280
or mdavis@recorder.com.