MELROSE DI EIGHTH grade team, the Ninja Pretzel Turbo Shots.
MELROSE — The Ninja Pretzel Turbo Shots, a middle school Melrose Destination Imagination team, have been on an epic adventure, from winning in their category and age group in a MA Destination Imagination Regional tournament in February to competing in May at Global Finals in Kansas City, MO. They ultimately placed 17th out of a competitive group of 48 teams from across the U.S. and around the globe.
The team, composed of 8th grade students from Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School and Saint Mary’s School in Melrose, includes Hannah Elliott, Marta Francis, Eileen Garland, Isabelle Healey and Kayla Hebert. Team managers are Eric Hebert and Adam Garland.
The Global Finals grand opening ceremony featured a parade of teams from each state or country. Almost every U.S. state was represented, as well as teams from Mexico, Canada, China, Indonesia, Qatar, Australia, Ukraine and more. The team met fellow students from all over and were able to perform their Fine Arts challenge solution alongside the best teams in the world!
This memorable and formative experience for our young students wouldn’t have been possible without the tremendous support from all the local Melrose businesses and residents who generously donated to our fundraiser events. From all of us at Melrose Destination Imagination, we extend our huge thanks for making this possible.
We encourage Melrose parents and families to check out Melrose Destination Imagination for your K-12 student. The next season begins September 2023. Destination Imagination (DI) is a nonprofit, volunteer-run organization that inspires and equips students to become innovators and leaders. Each year, DI publishes seven new standards-based “Challenges” containing elements of STEAM, Improv, Visual Arts, Community Service and Early Learning.
The hallmark of DI is “no interference.” Kids work completely independently on creative ideas and trial-and-error solutions to challenges. Parents do not assist with costumes, props, scripts or ideas. Melrose DI town coordinators are happy to answer any questions, connect interested families and team members and help get teams launched.
For additional information and to see previews of the upcoming season challenges, visit www.melrosedi.com, follow us on Facebook or email us at di@melrosedi.com for season start emails.
