Destination survival: School program stays alive through community support

At a time when the term "budget cuts" carries a certain desensitization when coupled with local school districts, one Plano academic program has raised some eyebrows since it, too, was recently sent to the chopping block.

Until last year, Destination ImagiNation [previously called Odyssey of the Mind] was funded, coordinated and promoted through Plano's elementary and middle schools. However, funding for the competitive scholar bowl was cut from the district's budget last year and the program quickly had to become a community-wide effort, putting the responsibility for funding, organizing and enrollment in the hands of parents and educators at the local level.

Support from school districts has been in constant flux over the past seven or eight years, but Northeast Texas region DI Director John Stromp said PISD's support had been "absolutely tremendous" until last year. It had also been, by far, the biggest district supporter, having spent more money and formed more teams than any other school district or organization in the world, Stromp said.

"Because of them, they gave us momentum," he said. "We're still one of the top regions in the world. We echo the term Plano uses by saying we're co-curricular -- we're very STEM oriented. This is all about science, technology, engineering and math. But if you're really good it's expensive."

The Northeast Texas region consists of the Plano, Garland, Frisco, Allen, McKinney and Lovejoy school districts, as well as various private schools in the area. Plano is not the only district to drop funding from the program, as Garland students have been on their own for the past several years, Stromp said. Allen and McKinney districts do not support the program financially, either, and Stromp said he is afraid Frisco may be the next.

The program is actually a relatively cheap one to maintain as long as the teams remain in local competitions. The real costs come from travel when advancing to state and global tournaments, Stromp said.

"The first year we only sent one team to global finals, and the year after that six," Stromp said. "I estimated that it was costing [the district] probably between $175,000 to $200,000 total, and 75 percent of that was travel, which can be expensive. But it represents the school district"

Melanie Ford is a special education teacher for PISD and has been a DI coach for roughly five years. Ford initially heard about the program through her sons, who currently serve on local teams. In the past, Ford held DI meetings at the school with other coaches to foster new teams. Without the school, Ford said the biggest problem this year was getting the word out. As a result, enrollment decreased by about a third, Ford said, with 221 teams registered compared to 312, according to Stromp.

"It's like it just died and disappeared and nobody knew about it in PISD," she said. "Funding has been reduced but nobody is surprised by [it]. Only the people who really knew about [DI] knew what to do and where to go to form the teams."

Destination lmagiNation teaches creativity, teambuilding and problem solving in more than 30 countries. Teams work for several months to create their solutions, which can have theatrical, structural, improvisational, scientific or technical focuses.

They then present their challenge solution at one of 16 regional tournaments around February and March at the elementary, middle and university levels, with the winning teams advancing to affiliate tournament in April. First and second place winners at the affiliate tournament then move on to the global tournament at the end of May at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

During her time as a coach, Ford said the program encouraged quick thinking, group dynamics and risk-taking. DI is still funded at the state level, but you have to qualify for a state tournament in order to receive those dollars, she said.

"As an organization, we are definitely seeking more corporate fundraising and more awareness," Ford said. "Having seen what happened in Plano this year, we are really trying to get the word out. We've never had to do that."

Destination ImagiNation was not the only extracurricular program cut from the budget for the 2011-12 school year, as a total of $191,636 was shaved in support for these types of activities. In a March 2011 workshop, Desination ImagiNation was among those programs proposed for defunding at $51,000 annually, not counting student travel. Similar programs affected were Adventure Camp, Whiz Kids and the Plano Symphony.

Ironically, Plano teams won first and second place at the Global Tournament this year. Michelle Adams helped raise the $13,000 needed to get the team to globals, thanks to local sponsors like Frito Lay, SharePlus, Farmers Insurance, Kroger and Walmart Neighborhood Mart. The team tweeted along the way and used social media to highlight its sponsors, said Adams, whose two sons have been in DI since they were in second and third grade. Now, with one having just completed seventh grade and the other finishing fifth, both have been a part of a strong team that has been working together for several years, a quality Adams would hate to see come to an end.

"I think why I like it so much is that it's such a great preparation for the business world," Adams said. "It shows them what it's like to be on teams, working with the opposite sex, trying to reach a consensus among the team and how you deal with dominate styles to come up with the best ideas. It really is a great skill builder. I can't speak high enough about how much this program does for the kids."

Facing the challenge of raising their own funds has in a way proven to be a beneficial "labor of love," Adams said, as it helped the students sharpen their marketing skills and "elevator pitches."Aside from helping send out letters and find contacts, the rest is up to them, she said.

That being said, Adams hopes the district will be able to pick the program back up after the budget crunch.

"They only have so many minutes to engage people," she said. "And there's such a limited time from the time they hear they're going on to globals. But they're the ones who had to stand outside of the Kroger and work on their speeches, it was a good lesson."

Plano ISD declined to comment on the program since it is no longer sponsored by the district.

For information about Destination ImagiNation, visit www.texasdi.org.

Current Rating: 0 of 0 votes!

Rate File: Select Rating: * ** *** ****

 Plano Apartments
 Plano Attorneys
 Plano Auto Dealers
 Plano Auto Parts
 Plano Auto Repair
 Plano Beauty Salons
 Plano Car Rental
 Plano Dentists
 Plano Doctors
 Plano Flowers
 Plano Hotels
 Plano Insurance
 Plano Loans
 Plano Mortgages
 Plano Movers
 Plano Pizza
 Plano Realtors
 Plano Restaurants
 Plano Storage
 Plano Tax Preparation
 Plano Travel
 Featured
 More...