These Houghton Middle School 8th graders journeyed down to Marquette Saturday and competed in the Destination Imagination Improv competition. They placed second and qualified to attend state competition in Mount Pleasant, MI. in April. Congratulations to the locals.

Congratulations 8th graders! And good luck in Mt. Pleasant.
Donn, glad to see the early posting as I am a night owl which means I can't soar with the eagles.

Good morning from Chattanooga, Tennessee, where Edie and I are back on the road for the second half of our vacation. We spent a week near Cullman, Alabama, and now we're headed up to Virginia to visit some more relatives. It has been good to stay in touch with Pasty Central through Pasty.NET's nationwide list of local dial-in numbers. Found a nice fast one here in Chattanooga.

Thanks again, Toivo, for holding down the Fort while we've been away.

How wonderful to see the Houghton middle school looking like a Benetton ad. Just one of the many ways the U.P. has changed for the better.

Great Guys! Congratulations and good luck at the state competition!

What's great is that all of those kids probably have nice Yooper accents, too. Warms my heart.

What did they do/design that won second place? Will the same thing be done at State, or will they have to do something else?

Can anyone tell me how to get to John Dees site to see his MTU Snow Carnival pics?

Click Here for John Dee

to the winners....what a way to start a Monday! The smiles and fresh young faces working so hard and allowing us to be so proud of our local teenagers. You kids are showing how talented, smart, and clever you are. Good luck down the road to the State competition.

MTU mom, here's the direct route to the winter carnival site
http://www.mtu.edu/carnival/

The UP has a long, rich history of cultural diversity that I was fortunate enough to experience. If you ever get to travel to some other continents you can see that has little to do with skin color. Just ask some of the earlier UP teachers who had to teach a class which spoke 4 or more different languages, as does our So Cal neighborhood school today. I'm sure you wouldn't think to go to China or India today and tell them they need to "change for the better" by adding more whites and blacks. We can enjoy today's diversity without disrespecting the people who came before.

I'd like to know what the DII competition is about, also. Sounds cool. Our school is preparing for a regional science competition this week that my eldest grandchild is involved in, and we're very excited.
Congratulations to these 8th graders!! What a great opportunity and accomplishment! Please keep us posted on the state competition. We'll be rootin' for ya!

MTU Mom, If you want to see John Dee's pics go to the site as linked above an then click on the "journal" link on the left side of the screen.
The pics are in the Feb. 18th entry.

Destination is one of the world's largest problem solving and creativity programs for kids of all ages. 47 states and 15 countries are involved. It is operated by a non-profit out of New Jersey formerly called Odyssey of the Mind. Critical thinking skills, teamwork,and creativity are the central focus. There are several challenges they must face: central and instant. Go to http://www.destinationimagination.org/ for more information. The small communities of the UP have a lot to be proud of in how our kids are able to compete in grammar school and then leave for university at "da tech", U of M, Ivy Leagues, etc. Small town America is special and this program is what helps. Hat off to Houghton Middle School.

Regards,
Donn

"Congratulations to the Destination Imagination team for placing 2nd in Marquette on Saturday. The team members are: Tommy DeYampert, Dani Cho, Norhafizah Kamison, Samantha Michaelson, Aaron Chiang, Kiersten Birondo, Apoorva Joshi. They are coached by Ms. Rama Joshi and Ms. Spahn is the coordinator. They will now move on to the state competition in April. Pictures and details can be found on the Middle School website beginning tomorrow."

http://www.houghton.k12.mi.us/

Bill Polkinghorn
Principal - Houghton Middle School

Donn,

I knew the first young man was your son before Bill named the kids. To me, he looks identical to you.

Thankyou,
Donn

Great accomplishment for these students. My daughter was in the program in Shiawassee Co. when it was still O.M. I had the priviledge of being an assistant coach for a while. Wishing this team all the best at state.

Congratulations! You should be so proud of yourselves. I have been involved with OM/DI here in Gillett/Green Bay Wisconsin for about 10 years. You meet the neatest kids and it wonderful to see the imagination and the work that you all go through. I am looking forward to being an appraiser at our DI competition on the 8th. Keep up the good work and good luck at your next DI competition.

Congratulations to a great bunch of Copper Country Kids. Keep up the good work.

Hello to bk,ca. What city in southern CA are you in? I am in Bakersfield and would like to know other yoopers in the area.

Hello, Tim in Bakersfield. I'm in Fountain Valley, a bit south of you. I've seen posts from Yoopers in Ventura, Santa Barbara, Catalina and other parts they don't name. I've even met one or two living around the L.A./Long Beach area, and a couple from Huntington Beach. I have travelled through Bakersfield a few times, but have only stopped long enough for gas. Amazing how that place has grown over the last 20 years. A bit too hot for my Yooper blood, though. How long ya been there?

There is a note on John Dee sight about the girl in the middle looking like his girlfreind/wife? Just thought this young lady might want to know about it. See what happens-one little picture on the internet and people from all over the place are talking about you! Good job team. Keep up the good work

Hey bk,ca! I've been in Bakersfield for 4 years. My first stop was in Barstow for a total of 6 years in CA. I've only been back twice in that time, one time only for a couple of days. I check out this sight almost daily to remind me of the Copper Country. I would like to hear from other Yoopers in the area (if any). Thanks for the response. I hope to hear from you again.