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Welcome to the 2011-2012 Destination ImagiNation Season!
Welcome all teams, team managers, program coordinators, officials, and volunteers to a new and exhilarating season of DI! We are excited about the new challenges, new faces, and new opportunities to grow and be challenged! We are especially looking forward to seeing you all at our DI events and tournaments!
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Building Tomorrow's Leaders:
One Challenge at a Time
Destination ImagiNation, Inc. is an extraordinary non-profit organization that provides educational programs for students to learn and experience creativity, teamwork and problem solving. Every year, we reach 100,000 students across the U.S. and in more than 30 countries. Destination ImagiNation, our core program, is an exhilarating after-school activity in which students work in teams to solve mind-bending Challenges and present their solutions at Tournaments. Teams are tested to think on their feet, work together, and devise original solutions that satisfy the requirements of the Challenges. Participants gain more than just basic knowledge and skills—they learn to unleash their imaginations and take unique approaches to problem solving. Our ultimate goal is to teach participants that through their creativity, teamwork and perseverance, they can develop creative solutions to complex problems completely on their own! To read more about Destination ImagiNation, click here.
Who can join? Anyone! Your school, PTA, gifted program, Community Ed or after school program, homeschool group, YMCA or YWCA, Scouting programs, 4H, community organization, your family - anyone up for a challenge and fun!
Check out the FAQS!
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Take a quick look at the 2011-2012 Challenges!
How can your kids, your classroom, your club, your home school, your college pals join the fun? It's easy! Just Start A Team! It's easy to do - go to www.idodi.org and hit Start A Team! There are three ways to do it: online, by paper, and by phone at 856-881-1603, ext. 16. DI Team Challenges and program materials are released annually on September 1. A typical season runs anywhere from six to 12 weeks, with most teams organizing between October and January. Team and Team Manager training is offered in each region beginning in October. Appraiser trainings are held in January and February, and regional tournaments are held around the state in February and March. For all the details of how DI works and who is involved from team member to Team Manager, read the DI Program Guide. Go Start A Team!!
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2011-2012 Trainings and Workshops  3/11
Thank you for participating in our trainings and workshops! We will have a host of new opportunities to learn about and experience DI in the 12-13 season which will be posted in September.
Please note the meeting for Team Managers for teams headed to Global Finals on Thursday, April 19, 4:30-7:30. Participants will be notified in their Globals binders at the State Tournament.
For great DI practice, check out the Brave New Workshop summer improv camps here!
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METRO AREA TRAINING
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DATE
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LOCATION
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| Metro Area Inst Challenge/ Structure Workshop |
Saturday, 1/14/12
9-12 and 1-4 |
South Education Center, Richfield |
| Brave New Workshop Improv Pizza Jams |
Saturday,1/14, 1/21, 1/28, 2/4/12 10-2 |
Brave New Student Union,
2605 Hennepin Ave S, Mpls |
| Meet the Challenge Masters/ Appraiser Training |
Saturday, 2/4/12 |
Intermediate School District 287, Plymouth |
| Global Finals Team Manager Meeting |
Thursday, 4/19/12
4:30-7:30 |
Intermediate School District 287, Plymouth |
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MN DI 2011-2012 DIrectory
Contact Regional Directors, State Challenge Masters, and MN DI Staff via phone or email by referring to our DIrectory.
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MN DI Tournament Assignments and Fees
See this table for your regional tournament assignment and fees. Please note that some school districts have been assigned to different regions this season!
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MN DI 2011-2012 Tournaments
Please see Regional pages, below, for more information about specific tournaments. Once regional registrations have been received, we will post general schedules for each tournament on its regional page (early February).
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TOURNAMENT
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DATE
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LOCATION
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| Regional Tournament Registration Due
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Jan 6, 2012 |
Intermediate School District 287, Plymouth
Register online at www.mndi.org after Nov 1
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West/Southwest Metro
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Feb 25, 2012
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Maple Grove SHS, Maple Grove
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East Metro
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March 3, 2012
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Harding Senior High School, St. Paul
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Proctor/Duluth
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March 10, 2012
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Proctor High School, Proctor
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Glencoe-Silver Lake
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March 10, 2012
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Glencoe High School, Glencoe
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Moorhead
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March 17, 2012
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St. Joseph School, Moorhead
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Rochester
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March 17, 2012
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John Adams Middle School, Rochester
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North Metro
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March 24, 2012
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Blaine High School, Blaine
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State Tournament
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April 14, 2012
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Jackson MS/Champlin Park HS, Champlin Park |
| Global Finals |
May 23-26, 2012 |
Knoxville, TN |
Please note that we never plan to cancel tournaments due to poor weather, as we are unable to reschedule them. In the case of really inclement weather, please check Pamela Schroeder's voice mail message at 763-550-7212 by 5:00 a.m. on your tournament day. Safety first! Use your own judgment as to your ability to travel safely. If you are unable to attend a tournament due to weather conditions, we will review the possibility of rescheduling you at a later tournament on a case by case basis.
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MN DI State Tournament
The MN DI State Tournament will be held at Jackson Middle School in Champlin Park on April 14, 2012. This will be a bigger and better-than-ever event, with teams from around the state presenting their Regional Tournament winning performances, impressive displays from our projectOUTREACH teams, and more!
projectOUTREACH teams can register now through the end of March for the tournament on our interactive registration form here.
ALL OTHER TEAMS can register here.
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Regional Information - Coming soon!
Regional Web Pages can be found here! Check these pages for details on regional training, tournaments, and directions. You can also reference www.SchoolDirections.com for more detailed maps and directions. Full descriptions and registration forms for trainings can be found in the 2011-2012 Trainings bullet, above.
- Proctor/Duluth
- East Metro
- Glencoe-Silver Lake
- Moorhead
- North Metro
- Southwest Metro/West Metro
- Rochester
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Managing your DI Program using our Coordinator Tools to navigate your season from start-up to tournament. Updated monthly!
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Heads Up!
What do you have in common with Zac Efron (High School Musical movies), Connor Diemand-Yauman (The Amazing Race), Chris Colfer (Glee), and Ken Baumann (The Secret Life of the American Teenager)? They are all DI'ers! Do you know a DI star? If you're on a team, you're a star!
 
  
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Support MN DI's Corporate Supporters
Corporations value the skills that Destination ImagiNation fosters.
MN
DI thanks...
for their support!
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Calling for Appraisers!
Looking to make new friends? Are you wondering what DI is all about, or what you are missing since your DI team graduated? Want to connect with the program as an Alumni? Join the DI appraising family and see the most creative learners in the state as they demonstrate their Challenge solutions at our tournaments! All it takes is for you to attend our one day training on February 4, 2012 in Plymouth, and you can be part of the fun. Put the PRAISE in appraising – the interactive registration form is here.
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Join DImail, MN DI's
Email List for Team Managers, Passport Contacts, and District
Coordinators:
DImail, a post-only list, brings you breaking news, tips,
opportunities, and reminders. It's your MN DI support system. To
subscribe, simply send an email to pfschroeder@district287.org.
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Stay in touch! |
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Follow DI.... via Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn!
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Stay in touch with MN DI's facebook page! We welcome your messages, pictures, updates...(see link above)
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What's New?
DI University
DI University is a new resource designed for Destination ImagiNation volunteers. It is a one-to-many approach that provides free online courses and training programs for you to increase your knowledge about the Destination ImagiNation program. Also, by taking any of the courses offered at DI University, you will help to maintain program standards throughout our constituency. Team Manager, Appraiser, Challenge Master, and Rules of the Road modules are available. More coming soon! Take these online trainings and amp your knowledge of DI! Go to www.diuniversity.org.
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There are new Intro to DI videos, PSA's, PowerPoint, and White Paper online at www.idodi.org!
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Proudly announcing the latest book from the creative mind of long time MNDI appraiser and author, David LaRochelle! Look for The Haunted Hamburger and Other Ghostly Stories, with delightful illustrations by the talented Paul Meisel. Read all about it on David’s site and find free extension activites too!
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Clarifications!
Check this site frequently! Challenge Clarifications will continue to be posted until February 15, 2012. You will need to continue checking regularly through that date!
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projectOUTREACH®
This challenge is now available for all levels!
projectOUTREACH® is a Destination ImagiNation Team Challenge designed to engage students in community activism. In projectOUTREACH, teams are invited to address real community issues through personal expression. The World Canvas, the 2011-2012 projectOUTREACH Challenge, asks teams to make a difference in their community by sharing their passion and exciting others to join their campaign. Teams will design marketing, advertising and exhibition materials for their projects, and canvas the world. For projectOUTREACH the definitions of community and need are very open: the team’s community may be as large or small as the team chooses and the need can be anything the team identifies as a need.
projectOUTREACH teams perform ONLY at the State Tournament in April. Teams should indicate their intent to perform this challenge by contacting MNDI. A separate tournament registration form will be available in November for pO teams. Teams may choose this challenge at any point in the season, for example, teams who do not advance from their Regional Tournaments may elect to also do projectOUTREACH as long as they have a separate and new team number. Our Metro Team Manager Workshop and Meet the Challenge Masters meeting will include projectOUTREACH sessions.
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From Team-Paks to team training to terrific DI goodies, ShopDI delivers creativity to your doorstep!
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Books Available for Purchase
Jump start your creativity with these great resources!
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Earn College Credit as a DI Appraiser or Team Manager
The University of Minnesota - Duluth is offering the opportunity to earn .5 credit through your involvement as a DI Appraiser and 1 credit as a Team Manager. Contact Proctor/Duluth Regional Director Allison Nicolson for specifics.
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Global Finals 2012!
Details about Global Finals 2012 will be posted later in the season. Join the party May 23-26, 2012! The countdown is on!
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Awards and Scholarships - 2011/2012
DIstinguished Leader Award, for ExtraorDInary High School Seniors!
The MN DI DIstinguished Leader Award honors the truly committed individual who has contributed to DI in an exemplary manner throughout his or her high school career. This is a self-nominated award, and graduating seniors who successfully complete the requirements will receive recognition and an award at the State Tournament. The Award recognizes exceptional accomplishment, dedication, innovation, leadership and performance in service of MN DI's program over the course of their four high school years. The details are here!
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MudDI Waters Scholarship for Seniors
The MudDI Waters is a consortium of 10 Affiliates who work together to promote DI. Members include Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. MudDI Waters pools resources to offer three scholarships annually to graduating DI'ers. The deadline for 2010 scholarships is February 1, 2012. See the application here.
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Destination ImagiNation Support Committee Scholarships
DISC supports the goals of Destination ImagiNation and its participants through scholarships and community building activities, offering $10,000 in scholarships annually. Details of this year's scholarship tracks and deadlines are posted at http://didisc.org/scholarshipshome. Application deadline is February 1, 2012.
Our heartiest and proudest congratulations to Megan Kinneberg from Wayzata who won two scholarships, and to Nick Baker from Eden Prairie who won two scholarships including the Founders Award in 2011!
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Great Links!
Check out the awesome DI Wiki for all sorts of team resources, team videos, challenge history, and more terrific sites! Visit these websites for more practice instant challenges, creativity resources and machine how-to's.
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Employee Volunteer Programs Benefit MN Destination
ImagiNation
3M, State Farm, Cargill, Best Buy, American Express, Xcel Energy and Microsoft are among corporations that offer
donation programs
to employees/retirees who volunteer for non-profit programs. DI Team
Managers, Appraisers, Program
Coordinators, and Tournament Volunteers verify hours of service and MN
DI receives fiscal support.
Check with your company or
contact MN DI Director Pamela Schroeder at 763-550-7212 or pfschroeder@district287.org.
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MN DI is Proud to Partner With These Institutions!
Dudley Riggs Brave New Theater's Brave New School of Improvisation
Leapfrog Institutes at the University of Minnesota
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DI 101: Growing Your DI Program
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
How do successful programs recruit team members?
How is team spirit and excitement kept alive during the tournament
season?
How do you promote recognition of team accomplishments?
How do you end the season on a high note and keep teams involved year
after year?
Check out our guide to downloadable activities and resources,
contributed by dozens of Minnesota DI Program Coordinators, Contacts,
and Team Managers. Activities are organized via timeline and can be
implemented at any level and within any organization. Discover how you
can make your DI program "Kid Powered - Team Driven!"
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