By LIBBY CLUETT
After Saturday's Regional Destination ImagiNation contest at Mineral Wells High School, Mineral Wells ISD will send three of its five competing teams to state.
Winning first in High School Challenge A - Technical was "No More Jack," with seniors Marshall Crabtree and Dylan Pruitt, juniors Mirella Castor-Frutos and Ashton Kinkead and sophomores Nohely Garcia and James Mitchell.
Winning first in High School Challenge E - Structure was "Watch out for that Teeeam," with seniors Kelly Cunningham, Miriam Garcia and Caleb Bandy, junior Danner Eudy and sophomores Hannah Gilbreath and Emanuel Garcia. This team also won first in Instant Challenge and won a Da Vinci Award for “outstanding creativity.”
Winning first in Middle School Challenge E - Structure was "Knights of the Medieval Realm," with Mineral Wells Junior High eighth-graders Max Whaley, Sydney Fewell, Dylan Wheaton and Ryan West and seventh-graders Kate Gilbreath and Shelby Shipp.
In all MWISD had five teams competing in the regional tournament.
“Our local teams did an excellent job [with] three out of five teams winning first and another placing six,” said site coordinator and MWISD manager Jacki Bandy. “I am very proud of all the Mineral Wells DI students who presented at tournament, for working so hard and not giving up when it got tough.
“This is a difficult program to be successful at because it takes so much time and creative energy. Many students do it for a year or two; but having students, like my high school group, who have hung in there for so many years is such a wonderful experience,” she added. “I know they see the benefit of the efforts they expend.”
In addition to three MWISD firsts and a Da Vinci Award, MWHS senior Caleb Bandy won one of two $1,000 DI region scholarships awarded to seniors.
This was MWHS’s second consecutive year to host the regional DI contest.
“The tournament was amazing this year; everyone had such a great time,” Bandy said. “Spectators and competitors came by after the awards ceremony and shared stories with me about all the fun they had in Mineral Wells and how nice the community was to them. I think downtown was a big hit!”
Next up in DI competition: Perrin-Whitt Consolidated ISD students will compete in its regional DI tournament this weekend. The state meet is April 12-13 at Cinco Ranch High School in Katy.
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