Schools
Mercer Island Destination Imagination Teams Excel at the 2013 Global Finals
An Islander Middle School team, called "Los Tacos Hermanos", placed first out of 52 teams from a number of countries.
Mercer Island elementary, middle and high school students fared well at the Destination ImagiNation 2013 Global Finals tournament held May 22-25 in Knoxville, Tennessee, including an Islander Middle School team that placed first in its age division.
The students took part in the competitive problem-solving competition that featured nearly 1,300 teams of students from elementary schools up to college.
The Spicy Sombreros—Elementary Structural Engineering Challenge
Placed 19th overall. Members are: Bridger Bourke, Justin Skene, Ryan Shobe, Ichiro Nakata, Kevin Li, Akhil Pothenini, and Julian Sanders.
Overcooked Lasagna—Elementary Improv Challenge
Placed 10th overall. Members are: Mollie Parkinson, Lila Shroff, Lauren Hunter, Sophia Chen, Sophia Ristuben, Jasper Geer, and Ben Roe.
The Illusions—High School Structural Engineering Challenge
Placed 4th overall. Placed 1st in Instant Challenge! This is a first for any Mercer Island team. Members are: Trevor Gullstad, Jay Rosenstein, Jason McRuer, Grace Hunter, Josh Park, and Aidan Wang.
Los Tacos Hermanos—Middle Level Improv Challenge
Received DaVinci Award for outstanding creativity. This team created two memorable characters that stunned the appraisers and placed 1st in Instant Challenge, and placed 1st overall out of 52 teams and is Mercer Island's first Global Finals Championship.
The IMS team earned three awards — a first for any team from Washington State. Members are: Ben Stoops, Cole Nielsen, Verli Chen, and Bryan Zhao.
All teams were coached by West Mercer 4/5 grade teacher Mark Headlee.
Superintendent Gary Plano said, “My deepest congratulations to Mark Headlee and the entire team for this outstanding achievement! It takes time and positive relationships to build these amazing DI teams. Coach Headlee has done a superb job. Kudos to our amazing "Imagineers" — for thinking creatively!”
Destination Imagination, Inc. is a non-profit organization that provides educational programs for students to learn and experience creativity, teamwork and problem solving. Global Finals is the culminating event of every Destination Imagination season. In May, over 1,100 teams from 45 states, seven Canadian provinces and 13 countries gather to showcase their Challenge solutions. The event is held in Knoxville, Tennessee.
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