Story provided by Chelsea Isenor, Director of Communications and Board Administration
On Saturday, April 12, 2025, a team of South Kamloops Secondary School (SKSS) students became provincial champions at the 2025 Destination Imagination Provincial Tournament in North Vancouver.
The SKSS winning team, The Tinkering Titans Nerd Herd, included students: Sadie Baker (Grade 12), Oscar Firth-Gieben (Grade 12), Martin Gjaltema (Grade 11), Calliope Leadbetter (Grade 11), Delainey Rusk (Grade 9), Harper Marchand (Grade 9), and Emma Willms (Grade 9). SKSS teacher, Ms. Brandi Rusk supported the students by being their mentor and teacher sponsor as they prepared and competed in the event. The team was also assisted by Ms. Rusk’s Teacher candidate, Giovanni Trotta.
Destination Imagination is a global educational non-profit dedicated to inspiring the next generation of innovators, leaders, and creative problem solvers. Destination Imagination operates educational programs and activities in 30+ countries around the world and more than 15,000 student teams (100,000+ youths) participate in their programs each year. Destination Imagination challenges allow students from pre-K through university to become part of a global community of confident creators and practice the essential skills needed to thrive in school, future careers, and beyond.
Ms. Rusk is no stranger to this competition, having led a team of students from Logan Lake Secondary School in 1998 to win gold in the Seniors Pageant Wagon Division at the Provincial Odyssey of the Mind competition (former name of the Destination Imagination competition). The team then went on to compete with some of the best student problem solvers in the world at the World Odyssey of the Mind competition in Orlando, Florida.
When asked about this year’s SKSS team, Ms. Rusk shared, “They excelled, not only were they brilliant in their prepared Science Challenge but they were also brilliant in their Instant Challenge. It’s a lot of work, but it’s so incredibly rewarding. I was so proud of them, not only for what they’ve accomplished but also for how they’ve worked together as a group throughout this process.”
At the Provincial competition, the SKSS team won first in the Instant Challenge (a timed physics challenge) and first place in the main World Beyond Science Challenge.
To prepare for their World Beyond Science Challenge, the SKSS team were given a science problem to solve and then came up with a creative solution. Their challenge was to take a planet in our solar system (Saturn), do scientific research and discuss specific elements of the planet, introduce their own technobabble, and then present how they would encounter alien life forces on this planet in a theatrical way. The project encouraged students to combine science skills with creative thinking and artistic expression.
SKSS students also won a Special Award for the team that showed the true spirit of Destination Imagination, by showcasing creativity, communication, collaboration, and problem solving. SKSS students were praised for how encouraging they were to all the other teams and for being true role models for the younger students.
When asked about their Destination Imagination experience, the students expressed their favorite parts were working as a team, learning from each other’s strengths and interests, and having fun together. Grade 9 student Delainey Rusk shared, “Even though we’re all from different grades and specialized in different things, we all came together to create something that was really good.”
When asked what it felt like when they realized they won, Grade 11 student Martin Gjaltema shared, “I was in a bit of disbelief… I was super happy and proud of my entire team. I’m definitely going to do it again, it was super fun. It felt good to be part of something and join a club.”
Grade 12 student Sadie Baker also received one of three Destination Imagination Scholarships. When asked about the experience, Sadie shared, “I really enjoy being with these people and the challenges were really interesting. This was a lot different than other school experiences I’ve had. I’m on the debate team and though it includes public speaking and a lot of research and preparation, it doesn’t include as much of the creative aspects [as Destination Imagination]. I thought it was interesting to use different parts of my brain and skills that I hadn’t exercised before.”
Throughout their journey to becoming provincial champions, the SKSS Destination Imagination team showcased many of the values and priorities highlighted in the 2022-2027 District Strategic Plan, including the importance of Connections and Relationships, as well as a commitment to Intellectual Development and Human and Social Development.