Destination ImagiNation: Local School Wins State Title; To Compete Nationally

It was a winning day for Brighton School at the Destination ImagiNation State Championships in Wenatchee last month.

Brighton’s fifth- and seventh-grade teams both took home the day’s top awards for Washington state for their outstanding community service projects and will travel to the Destination ImagiNation Global Finals in Knoxville, TN, later this month.

Brighton School, a private school in Lynnwood offering instruction from preschool through eighth grade, features many families from Edmonds and Woodway.

“I am extremely proud of the hard work, creativity and the entrepreneurial spirit that our students have exhibited while preparing for this year’s Destination ImagiNation regional and state finals,” said David Locke, principal of Brighton School. “All of Brighton’s teams have achieved so much for our school and for the surrounding community by working together, and I look forward to their participation at the Destination ImagiNation Global Finals in Tennessee.”

Destination ImagiNation (DI) Inc. is a creative problem solving organization for youths and adults. During a typical DI tournament, small teams compete in various challenges that require complex thinking skills, problem solving, teamwork and creativity.

The competitions take place throughout the school year and are open to teams ranging from elementary students to college students. Brighton School has been participating in DI tournaments for15 years.

This year Brighton’s fifth-grade team, “The Dream Team,” took on a beach reclamation project that involved a local beach and park clean up, removal of invasive plants and native plant reintroduction. At the State Finals, the team won first place in Project Outreach and won The Renaissance Award for creativity.

Brighton’s seventh-grade team, “Ripple Effect,” concentrated their efforts on raising money, volunteering their time and increasing public awareness for a local animal rescue center, Pasado's Safe Haven.

For their community-based project, students created a special YouTube video on the issue of animal abuse and neglect, and collected over $900 dollars for Pasado’s Safe Haven rescue center. 

In previous years, Brighton has sent teams to the Global Finals, but never before has Brighton sent two teams representing the school in the same year. Over the next month, both teams will be preparing for the trip, and the Brighton community plans on giving the students a large sendoff celebration.