The Newman Smith Caarbadarbons Improv team is advancing to the Destination Imagination (DI) Globals tournament in Kansas City on May 21-24 after placing third in the team challenge at the DI Lone Star Finals State Tournament on March 26 at the University of Texas at Arlington. Their improv performance consisted of Festival Man saving the day at the La Tomatina Festival.

The team consists of students Reid Sherman, Scotty Brady, and Quentin Maese. Newman Smith’s team last year placed first at Globals. In Destination Imagination (DI), students work together in teams to solve open-ended STEAM challenges designed to teach the creative process.  

“We are so proud of the Newman Smith team and look forward to them defending their first-place title in person,” said Abbie Sherman, CFBISD Destination Imagination Coordinator, and PEIMS Specialist. “Destination Imagination contests are important because students get to be creative, think critically, problem-solve, speak publicly, and work collaboratively.”

Five CFBISD teams competed at the state tournament. The teams each presented eight-minute solutions to their chosen challenges as well as thinking quickly on their feet in the Instant Challenge part of the tournament. The Las Colinas Elementary DITTO team went to a carnival as their structure held weight for a score in the Engineering Challenge. The CFBISD mixed elementary school team from Landry, Country Place, McCoy, and Stark elementary schools, calling themselves the Explosive Blob Boys, told a bedtime story about an awakened dragon as their cars maneuvered obstacles in the Technical Challenge. The X-Capers, a CFBISD mixed school team from Farmers Branch, Landry, and Stark elementary schools, were Boy Scouts earning a merit badge as their airplane and car also maneuvered obstacles in the Technical Challenge. 

“Our Destination Imagination teams had fun rooting each other on at UT Arlington,” Sherman said. “Congratulations to our teams on a job well done.”

Before the state tournament, four of the teams placed first at the regional DI tournament at Marcus High School. They were:

• Las Colinas Elementary fourth-grade team, DITTO – Engineering category: Di Anna Cowherd, Ahaan Goyal, Sara Morchower, William Sutton, Elliot Woo, and Paige Jackson
• Mix team of Stark, Landry, Country Place, and McCoy elementary, fifth-grade team, Explosive Blob Boys – Technical category: Thomas Potraza, Noah Bauer, Miles Talbert, Jackson Braswell, and Alex Patel
• Newman Smith High School 10^th-grade team, Caarbadarbons – Improvisational category: Reid Sherman,  Scotty Brady, and Quentin Maese
• Newman Smith High School, team Sherman  – eXtreme category: Reid Sherman, Scotty Brady, Quentin Maese, and Bryce Sherman  

Destination Imagination is a program open to all students sponsored by the CFBISD Advanced Academic Services Department. For questions, please contact Sherman at shermana@cfbisd.edu

“Be looking for next year's program to sign up starting September 2022,” Sherman said. “We are excited to continue our Destination Imagination success.”