Staff photo / Bob Coupland Destination Imagination team members Hazy’l Dixon, left, Patriya Wooden and Alta Laudermilt, all fourth graders at Willard PK-8 School in Warren, rehearse their skit for the regional DI competition Feb. 21 in Barberton. Four teams from the school are competing.

WARREN — Four Destination Imagination teams at Willard PK-8 School have been preparing for regional competitions Feb. 21 at Barberton High School.

Teachers Nina Vaughn and Cara Meadows are the advisers to the four teams, with Vaughn advising the fourth- and fifth-grade teams and Meadows the junior high team.

Vaughn said many of her students are marking their first time competing.

“These are two teams with a lot of new students. This will be their first competition,” she said.

Vaughn said the school is fortunate to have DI teams since many schools no longer participate in the program. Warren G. Harding High School previously had teams.

“For the fourth and fifth graders, there are not that many after-school choices. We have drama club, which I also do. I think it is important to have programs for the students,” Vaughn said.

One of the teams is a technical group, and for their challenge, they have to create a game show with a gimmick, suspense and a technical instrument.

The other team is a drama team, and they have to create an eight-minute play that includes the origins of a superhero and super villain who originate from the same incident.

The students have to set up the props and then perform their challenge.

“I let the students decide what challenge they want to do,” Vaughn said.

Destination Imagination is open to students from second to 12th grades with teams of anywhere from two to seven members.

Meadows has had her two teams, one of seventh graders and the other eighth graders meeting after school to prepare for the regional event.

Vaughn said teams successful at the regional event advance to state competition and then move to global competition in Kansas City if they do well at the state meet.

She said some teams from Warren have made it to global competition.

“That was a dream come true when we made it to the global finals. My fifth-grade team in 2025, which was a team of five girls, went to globals and placed in the top 30% in the world. They had a good storyline about friendship and helping a girl who was lonely and alone. I remember the judges had tears in their eyes. It was an emotional story they had a play on,” she said.

In addition to the central challenge categories, they compete in teams and also take part in a separate instant challenge where they are given a topic with little time to prepare.

“You can’t really practice for this because you do not know what the topic is going to be. The judges look for creativity, communication and teamwork. They will not know what the skit is until they get there,” Vaughn said.

WHAT STUDENTS DO

Hayz’l Dixon, fourth grade, said she enjoys trying something new and decided to be part of DI.

“I love going to competitions. My team is doing a play with props,” she said.

The five-member team of all girls was rehearsing at the front of the class.

Marcellus Creighton, fifth grade, is marking his second year of competition.

“I had a lot of fun last year and wanted to come back,” he said.

His twin brother, Matteo, also is competing.

Vaughn said several of the students also are involved with the drama club so the DI challenges allow them to act in skits.

Vaughn, who has been an adviser for several years, said COVID-19 changed many things and many teams did not continue. She said the team was competing in 2020 and was sent home from a competition because of health concerns.

“The 2019-2020 school year we were ready for the competition and then things really changed. We almost made it to the end of the season that year,” Vaughn said.

In Destination Imagination competition, students work in teams to solve open-ended STEAM challenges designed to teach the creative process. It is a step-by-step approach that helps students better understand problems and ask better questions, come up with solutions, learn from failure and celebrate their achievements, the DI website states.