“We all have different gifts. Each gift came because of the grace God gave us.” Romans 12:6
Have you ever tried to pack everything a college student will need for ten months into one van? If you have ever moved a child to college, especially to a school a significant distance away, you realize that you only have one opportunity to take a majority of personal belongings that are necessary for living independently throughout three seasons of the year.
Having a daughter that attended a college that was located out of state, I've experienced this adventure first hand. On moving day, as the capacity of the van was nearly maximized, we had to start prioritizing items based on importance. So, when it came to packing winter boots or a drying rack for her clothes, my mother's vote pulled more weight and the drying rack was left behind, despite the fact that my daughter learned from the previous year that college clothes dryers are not very friendly to dance class attire.
Once we arrived on campus and saw how small her room actually was, there was no way a drying rack would have ever fit so I left her with the instructions, "You'll just need to figure something out."
A few weeks later, I received this photo with the caption, "Figured out how to dry my clothes!"
Now, I'm not sure if the dormitory construction workers ever envisioned the pipe going across the ceiling to be used as a clothes drying rack, but my first thought when I saw this picture was her Destination Imagination brain is still at work! I immediately forwarded the photo to her previous DI coach and thanked her for cultivating Kristine's problem solving skills! Always the encourager, her coach replied, "Nicely done! They are not over lapping so they will dry faster! Covering an ugly pipe, so that's good too! And still high enough that she can walk around the room! Genius!"
Destination Imagination, otherwise known as DI, is an after school program that St. Matthew has embraced for over 25 years! Students in grades 1 through 8 have the opportunity to work together on a team where collaborative creative problem solving skills are introduced and encouraged.
Following criteria determined by Destination Imagination, teams solve established problems and perform their solutions in front of a panel of judges. Every team will compete in the Oakland Regional tournament on February 24, 2024. In addition, teams that place will continue to compete at the State tournament, which will be held on March 16, 2024. Frequently, St. Matthew has been blessed to send teams on to the Global competition, including last year's 8th grade team that placed sixth in the world!
If you are interested in your child participating in this fabulous program that encourages many creative and innovative traits, please plan on attending a basic DI Ice Cream Information Night next Monday, October 16, in Room 303 at 6:30 p.m.
As we get ready to "Scoop Up a New DI Season", we hope that your child will be one of the many delicious flavors in our DI mix this year!
In Jesus' Love,
Mrs. Palka