About Us
What Is Troy Creative Minds?
Troy Creative Minds (TCM) is a non-profit organization committed to helping the students of Troy School District participate in a world-wide creativity program in which students grades K-high school work in teams to solve a team selected challenges designed by the world’s largest creative problem solving organization: Destination ImagiNation.
TCM works with Michigan Creativity Association to allow our TSD students to participate in tournaments at the local, state and global levels.
What Is Destination Imagination?
The Destination Imagination (DI) program encourages teams of learners to have fun, take risks, focus and frame challenges while incorporating STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), the arts and service learning.
Get Started!
Have more questions? Looking for a team? Join us for the Troy Creative Minds Information Night on Sept 24th 6:30pm at the Larson Middle School Cafeteria.
2018-19 DI Challenge previews
SCIENTIFIC
LEARNING OUTCOMES: Anatomy & Physiology, Medical Science, Technology, Effective Storytelling
- Research the human body and medical conditions that affect the human body.
- Create and present a story about a medical mystery that affects a human character.
- Design and build a representation that shows the medical mystery and at least one symptom.
- Present an action or scene that is shown from two or more perspectives at the same time.
- Create and present two Team Choice Elements that show off the team’s interests, skills, areas of strength, and talents.
TECHNICAL
LEARNING OUTCOMES: Aircraft Design, Technical Engineering & Design, Accuracy & Precision, Effective Storytelling
- Design and build an aircraft that takes off, flies, and lands.
- Design the aircraft to deliver a team-created payload.
- Create and present a story about one or more characters exploring a remote place.
- Create and present two Team Choice Elements that show off the team’s interests, skills, areas of strength, and talents.
FINE ARTS
LEARNING OUTCOMES: Game Design, Theatrical Set & Prop Design, Technical Design, Theater Arts Skills
- Create and present a story that integrates research of a team-selected game.
- Create and present a game gizmo that causes an action or event to occur.
- Design and create a container that goes through a transformation.
- Design either the game gizmo or the container to be a technical element.
- Create and present two Team Choice Elements that show off the team’s interests, skills, areas of strength, and talents.
ENGINEERING
LEARNING OUTCOMES: Structural Integrity & Failure, Structural Engineering, Technical Design, Effective Storytelling
- Design and build a structure that can support weight without breaking.
- Test the structure by placing weights and then removing them.
- Create and present a story in which the sudden appearance of a monster has surprising results.
- Design and create a special effect to enhance the sudden appearance of the monster and/or the events surrounding the monster in the story.
- Create and present two Team Choice Elements that show off the team’s interests, skills, areas of strength, and talents.
RISING STARS
LEARNING OUTCOMES: Technical Design, Theatrical Set & Prop Design, Improvisational Skills, Effective Storytelling
- Explore fiction and nonfiction stories.
- Create and present a story that combines elements of both fiction and nonfiction.
- Design and build a technical device.
- Create an interactive, life-size pop-up book to help tell the story.
- Integrate a randomly selected item into the story.
IMPROVISATIONAL
LEARNING OUTCOMES: Cultural Competency, Character Development,
Nonverbal Communication, Effective Storytelling
- Research historical figures found on coins from around the world.
- Create and present an improvisational skit that includes the historical figures in a tale.
- Integrate an event that has an impact on the tale.
- Present the skit in two parts, changing between comedy and tragedy.
- Present the skit in two styles, changing from verbal to nonverbal.
SERVICE LEARNING
LEARNING OUTCOMES: Social Entrepreneurship, Project Management, Theater Arts Skills, Effective Storytelling
- Identify, design, and carry out a project that addresses a need in a real community.
- Create and theatrically present a story that builds suspense about characters who attempt an escape.
- Integrate information about the project through clues that help the characters attempt to escape.
- Integrate information about the future of the project.
- Create and present two Team Choice Elements that show off the team’s interests, skills, areas of strength, and talents.
INSTANT CHALLENGE
Instant Challenges require teams to engage in quick, creative, and critical thinking.
At a tournament, a team will receive an Instant Challenge and the materials with which to solve it. The team members must think on their feet by applying appropriate skills to produce a solution in a period of just five to eight minutes. Instant Challenges are performance-based, task-based, or a combination of the two.
Although each Instant Challenge has different requirements, all Instant Challenges reward teams for their teamwork. Instant Challenges are kept confidential until the day of the tournament.