Champions bring home gold medals

Girls Team

Boys team

Large video screen announces the winner

Destination ImagiNation president shakes hands with gold medalist

Trophy for Maharishi School champions

Destination ImagiNation: Setting new world records
by Global Good News staff writer
9 June 2007

The students at Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment in Fairfield, Iowa, USA are setting new state and world records.

An international competition, the ‘Destination ImagiNation (DI) program’ is an extraordinary opportunity for school children to combine what they know with what they excel at, and to learn to apply this to solve problems. Young people from around the world work in teams to apply their creativity and critical thinking, and explore the limits of their imaginations. The world's largest creativity and problem solving organization, Destination ImagiNation inspires students to learn the process, art, and skill associated with problem solving.

Destination ImagiNation helps youngsters develop a unique and critical skill set by emphasizing:

• Creativity
• Knowledge Application
• Problem Solving
• Collaboration
• Teamwork
• Generating & Focusing Tools
• Presentation Skills
• Project Management
• Confidence
• Time Management
• Research Skills
• Creative/Critical Thinking Skills
• Improvisational Skills
• Budgeting Skills

Up to seven participants work together as a team for eight to twelve weeks to create a solution to a Team Challenge, which can have a focus that is theatrical, structural, improvisational, scientific or technical. Teams also learn and practise creative quick-thinking skills for the Instant Challenge portion of the programme. Destination ImagiNation helps young people learn in a fun and supportive environment, and develop skills that will be valuable throughout their lives.

The Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment (MSAE) in Fairfield, Iowa, USA has won a reputation throughout the world for the students’ extraordinary creativity. MSAE offers Maharishi Consciousness-Based Education, which is known—by repeated experience and extensive research—to stimulate total brain functioning of the student. Through the key technologies of Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi programmes, including Yogic Flying, stress in eliminated and the full creative potential and inner happiness of every student is enlivened. This creative genius was exhibited at the Destination ImagiNation competition.

Maharishi School’s Destination ImagiNation (DI) teams began by setting a new record for state championships. This year, eight teams placed first in the state level competitions—out of a total of 15 division winners—beating their own 2005 state record of seven first place wins. The next step was the Destination ImagiNation Global Finals, an international competition which drew drew 8,000 students from all over North America, Europe, Asia and South America.

A Maharishi School team captured the gold medal, winning first place. All team members were senior students from Maharishi School: Jake Gratzon, Owen Stowe, Ace Boothby, Noah Caplan, Donny Chell, Tim Shaw, and Newlin Wilkins.

In addition to first place, the boys received the prestigious Renaissance Award, a prize given sparingly to recognize extraordinary creativity.

The competition was exceedingly stiff. But the Maharishi boys amazed the judges with a homemade computer— built out of nails and copper wire—that could add binary numbers. Noah Caplan designed the circuitry, and the electromagnetic switches and layout were engineered and built by Jake Gratzon. One judge was so impressed with the computer's sophistication that she assumed the boys were university students majoring in computer science. They sheepishly corrected her.

Everyone is extremely proud of this world class Maharishi high school team in Iowa for exhibiting infinite creativity.

As one proud parent says, 'For the rest of their lives, they have the honour and distinction of being the most creative kids in their age group, on the planet.'

Copyright © 2007 Global Good News(sm) Service