Letter: Appreciates DI programs

Dear Editor,

It was a pleasure and a privilege to be involved with the amazing students of our region and the hundreds of volunteers who served those kids, at the Destination Imagination Regional Performance Day, Saturday March 28.

Randy Hanson’s wonderful article conveyed some of the excitement of the day, and we know that those present at the middle school saw a day filled with dynamic evidence of the incredible creativity of our young people and the commitment of the unsung heroes behind the scenes; the volunteers who return year after year to make D.I. possible.

While we understand that short plays about cheetahs or the Loch Ness Monster or Madagascar may not change the world, it’s our hope that the ideals being taught to students who are a part of D.I. may actually help them to do just that someday!

The chance to explore creativity, to be part of a group of people who respect and care about you, to be able to discover and contribute the talents you have for the good of the whole — these are the principles behind this international program.

An eloquent summary: “As breathing is basic to being, creativity is basic to becoming. It’s an urge to build, an instinct to explore … a hunger to grow, a drive to renew, a thirst to understand our world, a craving to complete ourselves. More than just a leisure time lark for the lucky, creativity is a metaphysical must that needs to be satisfied by each human and all humanity.

“Creativity in its most exquisite form brings people together, helping them see more clearly who they are, how much they share and how valuable they can be to one another. To be creative is to be insufferably curious, to relish prying off lids and lifting veils. It is to be equipped with a fully developed sense of wonder, and if possible a fully operational sense of humor (certainly required by D.I. managers).

“It is to follow our imaginations, to dare impossible leaps of faith and, above all, it is never to let our fear of failure overcome our delight in discovery. Often it’s a beauty blundered into, and once in awhile it’s a confidently conceived, brilliantly engineered, laser-straight tunnel from darkness into light.” (author unknown)

Congratulations to all who were a part of the D.I. journey this year!

Liz Malanaphy and Anita Stilwell, Hudson

Co-Coordinators, Hudson Schools D.I. program

Tags: opinion, hudson, letter, destination, imagination