SLS 17RS-2588 ORIGINAL
2017 Regular Session
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 173
BY SENATOR GATTI
COMMENDATIONS. Commends the Kingston Elementary School engineering team for
obtaining the highest instant challenge score in the Destination Imagination Global
competition.
1 A RESOLUTION
2 To commend the Kingston Elementary School in Benton, Louisiana, engineering team for
3 obtaining the highest instant challenge score at the Destination Imagination Global
4 competition.
5 WHEREAS, the Kingston Elementary team, led by sponsor, April Murphy, fifth
6 grade teacher, and Paula Prichard, librarian aide, who served as team manager for the
7 engineering team and students Turner Hubbard, Jack Ouellette, and Payton Prichard, fifth
8 grade, Talmadge Wright, fourth grade, and Jersey Shadoin, third grade, received the highest
9 instant challenge score in the 2017 competition; and
10 WHEREAS, the instant challenge is one component of the Destination Imagination
11 team challenge and its content is top secret until each team is called upon to compete and
12 solve the challenge using the many skills that they have learned working on challenges
13 throughout the school year; and
14 WHEREAS, the overall winner of the competition is the team with the highest total
15 score in the entire event of which the instant challenge is a portion; and
16 WHEREAS, Destination Imagination, founded in 1999, is a volunteer-led,
17 educational, nonprofit organization that teaches Twenty-first century skills and science,
18 technology, engineering, and math (STEM) principles to kindergarten through university
Page 1 of 3 SR NO. 173
SLS 17RS-2588 ORIGINAL
1 level students; and
2 WHEREAS, in the Destination Imagination construct, teams of students develop
3 solutions to open-ended challenges presented to them using creative and collaborative
4 problem solving; and
5 WHEREAS, through the challenge program students learn and experience the
6 creative process from imagination to innovation and they learn skills needed to succeed in
7 school, career, and life, in general, including teamwork, communication, project
8 management, perseverance, creative and critical thinking, and self-confidence; and
9 WHEREAS, each year Destination Imagination releases seven challenges geared to
10 specific learning objectives in the areas of technology, science, fine arts, improvisation,
11 engineering, service learning, and early learning challenges for ages four to seven; and
12 WHEREAS, challenges solved by the teams have both long and short-term
13 components and the students operating as a team and aside from working to devise a
14 solution, learn to value each person's abilities and particular strengths; and
15 WHEREAS, all challenges include a presentation portion, whether rehearsed or on
16 the spot and the participating teams, once the challenges are announced, have until the date
17 of their first tournament to work on their long-term component of the challenge; and
18 WHEREAS, the students at Kingston Elementary School excelled in the instant or
19 short-term component where the teams do not know the task until the time arrives to
20 compete, but the team brings the skills learned in the long-term component to approach and
21 solve the instant challenge; and
22 WHEREAS, the outstanding students who comprise the Destination Imagination
23 team of Kingston Elementary School and their adult sponsor and team manager have
24 excelled in their instant challenge and, in doing so, have brought honor and acclaim to
25 themselves, Kingston Elementary School, Bossier Parish schools, and the entire state of
26 Louisiana.
27 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
28 does hereby commend the Kingston Elementary School in Benton, Louisiana, engineering
29 team for obtaining the highest instant challenge score at the Destination Imagination Global
30 competition.
Page 2 of 3 SR NO. 173
SLS 17RS-2588 ORIGINAL
1 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
2 Debbie Gegg, principal of Kingston Elementary School, on behalf of the Destination
3 Imagination engineering team students and supervising adults.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Mary Dozier O'Brien.
DIGEST
SR 173 Original 2017 Regular Session Gatti
Commends the Kingston Elementary School in Benton, Louisiana, engineering team for
obtaining the highest instant challenge score at the Destination Imagination Global
competition.
Page 3 of 3