Get Pennybag Playwrights to global DI finals
Donation protected
Help us raise funds to send team Pennybag Playwrights from Harvard, MA, and Fitchburg, MA to the Destination Imagination global finals in Kansas City, MO May 23-26, 2019. They earned their spot at globals by placing 3rd in the middle-level fine-arts challenge at Worcester Polytechnic Institute March 30. These kids are SO excited to be representing their towns and Massachusetts. They can't wait to meet other DI teams from all around the world!
But the $5,500 registration fee, which doesn't even include travel expenses, is insurmountable. This is an independent team, unaffiliated with any school or organization that could help with funding. Furthermore, three of the team members are brothers, so half the cost is falling on just one family. The kids are planning all sorts of fundraisers, including bake sales and an "imagination fair," but they'll need your help to get to Kansas City.
Destination Imagination is a non-profit organization that promotes creativity, innovation, problem solving, and teamwork through annual academic competitions. Each September, the organization releases seven challenges in categories such as scientific, medical, fine arts, and structural. The Pennybag Playwrights chose the fine arts challenge "Game On," in which they had to do the following:
-research a real game and incorporate the research into a skit lasting 8 min or less
-design a container to enclose all their props; the container had to undergo a visual transformation during the performance
-design a "game gizmo" that is a theatrical representation of a game component; a team member had to be a physical part of the game gizmo
-choose either the game gizmo or the container as the "technical element," which would use technical methods to accomplish a task
This team chose Monopoly and learned that the British air force sent specially marked games to prisoners of war during WWII to give them tools and resources with which to escape. They wrote a story about some kids who got transported into a Monopoly game and who took advantage of what they'd learned about the use of the game during WWII to help one of their friends escape from Monopoly jail. They also designed a Monopoly car that lit up and spun its wheels (pinwheels) to transport the kids out of the game.
The team started state-tournament day just hoping to finish their skit in under the allotted 8 min. They'd made several improvements and additions since regionals and were worried about the extra length. They also hoped that team member Lauren, who had been too ill to attend the final practice and still wasn't feeling well, would remain standing, not to mention remember her new lines. As you can see in the above video, Lauren mustered all of her strength to deliver a peppy and top-notch performance.
Although they felt great about the way things had gone, they hardly dared to hope they would place. After all, they'd come in 2nd at their regional tournament and were competing against mostly 1st-place teams (2nd place teams only get to go to states if their region has more than a certain number of contestants in that category, so not all regions sent two teams). What's more, they were at a significant age disadvantage. The fact that the team included two 7th graders meant they had to compete at the middle-school level . But the remaining team members include one 3rd grader and three 5th graders. The other teams were composed by and large of 6th through 8th graders.
In the end, the improvements they'd made propelled them not only to 3rd place overall but also ahead of the regional 1st-place team, which came in 5th. So, so exciting!
The team was far less excited to learn that the registration fee for going to the global competition is a hefty $5,500. That's where we hope you can help.
Most of the kids are planning to get to Kansas City via a road trip with a camper, which should decrease hotel costs and increase the educational value as the kids travel cross-country and visit sites of interest along the way. As noted above, the kids are coming up with all sorts of fundraising ideas to earn money for the trip. But that registration fee is ... well, we'll need to do more than yardwork and bake sales.
Please consider donating to get these kids to global finals! You can contribute here through GoFundMe (please pay attention to the options for including an additional donation to GoFundMe; this is not required, but you might need to opt out) or, if you'd like to make a tax-deductible contribution, send a check to Destination Imagination, Attn: GF Donation Dept., 1111 South Union Avenue, Cherry Hill, NJ 08002. Make checks payable to Destination Imagination and—VERY IMPORTANT—be sure to include team number [phone redacted]4 on your check.
The kids say THANK YOU! And here's a little about each of them, so you'll know whom you're funding.
Lauren played the Scottie dog in the skit. She is in the 5th grade, and this is her second year in DI. She wants to be a scientist when she grows up. She loves instant challenges that involve building things -- a separate component of the DI competition, the instant challenge asks teams to work together to come up with a solution to a spontaneous problem they are given on tournament day. Lauren also enjoys playing Risk and, of course, Monopoly. Lauren has won money in fiddling contests and enjoys playing Irish jigs. The DI Monopoly game featured in the skit was her idea, and we're encouraging her to market it!
Jonathan played the iron and is in the 5th grade. This is his fourth year in DI. When he's not reading (which is what he wishes he could do all the time), he also likes to build things, solve tricky math problems, and make crepes. One of his top priorities is to make it to Lego Club each month at his favorite library.
Sam was part of the setup crew and also played Officer Mallory. He is in the 7th grade., and this is his fourth year in DI. He enjoys raising chickens and ducks and hopes to own a farm someday. He's got an engineer's mind and is good at figuring out how things work. He also loves coming up with business ideas; we're sure he'll be self-employed eventually. He knows a bit about electronics and robotics; he built a line-following robot for his team's 2018 DI skit, and this year he was largely responsible for the car.
James was part of the setup crew and also played Milburn Pennybags. He is in the 5th grade, and this is his first year in DI. What a start! James has acted in several plays, including "Pirates of Penzance." and learned to sew while making his costume for this DI performance. James loves outdoors adventures such as climbing trees, riding bikes, and skiing. A sports guy, he enjoys running, soccer, and basketball the most. He likes doing robotics projects with his 4H group, and he loves math!
Zach played the top hat and is in the 3rd grade. This is his second year in DI. He loves building robots and working with circuits; he and Sam worked together to power the spinning pinwheels on the Monopoly car (Jonathan made the actual pinwheels). They used a motor from a salvaged remote-controlled car to turn a front axle, which they attached to the back axle with a band of wide electrical tape. Zach also likes playing any sport there is, particularly soccer, basketball, and Ultimate Frisbee. And, as you can see from this picture, he enjoys building with Keva blocks—and just about anything else.
Wyatt played the automobile and is in the 7th grade. This is his 2nd year in DI after a break of a couple of years. He enjoys skiing, hiking in the White Mountains, geometry, and playing the flute. He has acted in several performances, including a radio play of "The Day the Earth Stood Still."
But the $5,500 registration fee, which doesn't even include travel expenses, is insurmountable. This is an independent team, unaffiliated with any school or organization that could help with funding. Furthermore, three of the team members are brothers, so half the cost is falling on just one family. The kids are planning all sorts of fundraisers, including bake sales and an "imagination fair," but they'll need your help to get to Kansas City.
Destination Imagination is a non-profit organization that promotes creativity, innovation, problem solving, and teamwork through annual academic competitions. Each September, the organization releases seven challenges in categories such as scientific, medical, fine arts, and structural. The Pennybag Playwrights chose the fine arts challenge "Game On," in which they had to do the following:
-research a real game and incorporate the research into a skit lasting 8 min or less
-design a container to enclose all their props; the container had to undergo a visual transformation during the performance
-design a "game gizmo" that is a theatrical representation of a game component; a team member had to be a physical part of the game gizmo
-choose either the game gizmo or the container as the "technical element," which would use technical methods to accomplish a task
This team chose Monopoly and learned that the British air force sent specially marked games to prisoners of war during WWII to give them tools and resources with which to escape. They wrote a story about some kids who got transported into a Monopoly game and who took advantage of what they'd learned about the use of the game during WWII to help one of their friends escape from Monopoly jail. They also designed a Monopoly car that lit up and spun its wheels (pinwheels) to transport the kids out of the game.
The team started state-tournament day just hoping to finish their skit in under the allotted 8 min. They'd made several improvements and additions since regionals and were worried about the extra length. They also hoped that team member Lauren, who had been too ill to attend the final practice and still wasn't feeling well, would remain standing, not to mention remember her new lines. As you can see in the above video, Lauren mustered all of her strength to deliver a peppy and top-notch performance.
Although they felt great about the way things had gone, they hardly dared to hope they would place. After all, they'd come in 2nd at their regional tournament and were competing against mostly 1st-place teams (2nd place teams only get to go to states if their region has more than a certain number of contestants in that category, so not all regions sent two teams). What's more, they were at a significant age disadvantage. The fact that the team included two 7th graders meant they had to compete at the middle-school level . But the remaining team members include one 3rd grader and three 5th graders. The other teams were composed by and large of 6th through 8th graders.
In the end, the improvements they'd made propelled them not only to 3rd place overall but also ahead of the regional 1st-place team, which came in 5th. So, so exciting!
The team was far less excited to learn that the registration fee for going to the global competition is a hefty $5,500. That's where we hope you can help.
Most of the kids are planning to get to Kansas City via a road trip with a camper, which should decrease hotel costs and increase the educational value as the kids travel cross-country and visit sites of interest along the way. As noted above, the kids are coming up with all sorts of fundraising ideas to earn money for the trip. But that registration fee is ... well, we'll need to do more than yardwork and bake sales.
Please consider donating to get these kids to global finals! You can contribute here through GoFundMe (please pay attention to the options for including an additional donation to GoFundMe; this is not required, but you might need to opt out) or, if you'd like to make a tax-deductible contribution, send a check to Destination Imagination, Attn: GF Donation Dept., 1111 South Union Avenue, Cherry Hill, NJ 08002. Make checks payable to Destination Imagination and—VERY IMPORTANT—be sure to include team number [phone redacted]4 on your check.
The kids say THANK YOU! And here's a little about each of them, so you'll know whom you're funding.
Lauren played the Scottie dog in the skit. She is in the 5th grade, and this is her second year in DI. She wants to be a scientist when she grows up. She loves instant challenges that involve building things -- a separate component of the DI competition, the instant challenge asks teams to work together to come up with a solution to a spontaneous problem they are given on tournament day. Lauren also enjoys playing Risk and, of course, Monopoly. Lauren has won money in fiddling contests and enjoys playing Irish jigs. The DI Monopoly game featured in the skit was her idea, and we're encouraging her to market it!Jonathan played the iron and is in the 5th grade. This is his fourth year in DI. When he's not reading (which is what he wishes he could do all the time), he also likes to build things, solve tricky math problems, and make crepes. One of his top priorities is to make it to Lego Club each month at his favorite library.Sam was part of the setup crew and also played Officer Mallory. He is in the 7th grade., and this is his fourth year in DI. He enjoys raising chickens and ducks and hopes to own a farm someday. He's got an engineer's mind and is good at figuring out how things work. He also loves coming up with business ideas; we're sure he'll be self-employed eventually. He knows a bit about electronics and robotics; he built a line-following robot for his team's 2018 DI skit, and this year he was largely responsible for the car.James was part of the setup crew and also played Milburn Pennybags. He is in the 5th grade, and this is his first year in DI. What a start! James has acted in several plays, including "Pirates of Penzance." and learned to sew while making his costume for this DI performance. James loves outdoors adventures such as climbing trees, riding bikes, and skiing. A sports guy, he enjoys running, soccer, and basketball the most. He likes doing robotics projects with his 4H group, and he loves math!Zach played the top hat and is in the 3rd grade. This is his second year in DI. He loves building robots and working with circuits; he and Sam worked together to power the spinning pinwheels on the Monopoly car (Jonathan made the actual pinwheels). They used a motor from a salvaged remote-controlled car to turn a front axle, which they attached to the back axle with a band of wide electrical tape. Zach also likes playing any sport there is, particularly soccer, basketball, and Ultimate Frisbee. And, as you can see from this picture, he enjoys building with Keva blocks—and just about anything else.Wyatt played the automobile and is in the 7th grade. This is his 2nd year in DI after a break of a couple of years. He enjoys skiing, hiking in the White Mountains, geometry, and playing the flute. He has acted in several performances, including a radio play of "The Day the Earth Stood Still."
Fundraising team: Pennybag Playwrights (2)
Kerry Evans
Organizer
Harvard, MA
Tucker Evans
Team member
