2010 State Finals Awards
DaVincI Award
Renaissance Award
Torchbearer Award
DaVincI Award
The paths we follow on our journeys were once uncharted and unknown – until someone took a bold step in a new direction and paved a way for us to follow. To solve our Challenges, imagination, creativity, originality, and courage are required. We honor those individuals and teams who most clearly demonstrate that spirit of adventurous risk in their solutions - those who most creatively traveled to reach truly new and unique destinations. The DaVincI Award is named to honor one of humanity's greatest creative thinkers, Leonardo DaVinci.
Criteria:
This award is given for having a unique approach to a solution, for risk taking, and/or for outstanding creativity, not skill or talent.
Recipients:
The BrainTeasers
Laguna Niguel
Elementary DIrect DIposit
This team realized they didn't have enough people to cover all their characters, so they chose the route of Solomon and split a performer in half. From top to bottom, this split character showed attention to detail that brought to life two distinct personalities, one male and one female. Hair, glasses, jewelry, clothes, and shoes created a visual effect that was almost disturbing. The outstanding creativity to resolve a casting problem showed originality and adventurous risk.
Undead Bunnies
Cub Scout Pack 193
Elementary DI-Bot
This team's exceptional creativity in the disguise of the DI-Bot and unique approach to the problem stood out. Their story was set in a very mechanically high tech future. Instead of solving their "robotic" challenge by going "high-tech", they chose to go low tech and make a machine that would accomplish their task out of the most basic items. This award is presented for the unique approach they took, and the risk involved in their Rube Goldberg-type solution.
Peacemakers
Foothill Ranch
Elementary You're Gonna Flip!
This team created a huge scrolling backdrop for their video game for their puppet character on the obsessed player's TV playing Guitar Hero & a running game. Then the player was sucked in to their game to interact with the puppet and backdrop (that's how big it was), and then the unpredictable comic mayhem ensued: the player interacted humorously with his sister's Barbie dress up game. He and his rescuer then defeated the 30-second cooking game and then played "baby baseball" complete with "binkies" -- it was a fantastic over-the top creatively fun performance.
Drama Llamas
Graham Middle School
Middle You're Gonna Flip!
If silence is golden, then this team is platinum. By using only original, instrumental music and choreography - completely without words - they were able to creatively convey the solution in a highly emotional and moving manner. It was a complex solution that took us on an emotional roller coaster with intensity and high drama. Using this original and unconventional approach, they were able to captivate the audience and appraisers long after their performance had ended.
Ding!
Dixon DI
Middle Do or DI
Team Ding! showed the true spirit of improv. Their energy level was through the roof as they shouted rapid-fire ideas to share. Their stock character was a reluctant hero who was a joy to behold. They flipped a turtle and rescued him to save the species. Their exceptional creativity had the audience enthralled and judges smiling. What a great team!
The Renaissance Award
For Outstanding Design, Engineering, Execution, Performance
On our journey, we sometimes encounter exceptional travelers who entertain and enlighten us along the way. The Renaissance Award recognizes those among us who demonstrate extraordinary amounts of effort and preparation in their solutions or outstanding skill in engineering, design or performance. While the destination is creativity, these fellow travelers make the journey itself memorable.
Criteria:
This award is given for outstanding skill in the areas of engineering, design, or performance.
Recipients:
Brainstormers
Laguna Niguel Elementary
Elementary DI-Bot
For their use of handmade cardboard gearing and over 300 pieces of hand-made origami.
There is NO Planet B
Foothill High School
Secondary Breaking DI News
For their dazzling mermaid costumes made out of spray-painted bottle caps, and their backdrops. This team produced an amazing array of backdrop displays that simply could NOT have fit in their container -- but they did. We were impressed by the intricate series of hinges, spacers, etc., that allowed their displays to condense into their container.
DI Knows
Wagon Wheel Elementary
Elementary You're Gonna Flip!
This elementary team's owl puppet appeared to sit on a team member's arm, but was actually manipulated by her own hand with a fake arm underneath. The effect was seamless and so well constructed from simple materials that the appraisers were astounded to see the "magic" revealed.
The Creative Wizard Champions
Fairlands Elementary
Elementary You're Gonna Flip!
This team created a "Collapsing Dragon House" -- a collapsing house that could be triggered by a team member. It was made of wood walls and a clever system of wooden dowels and cabinet catches so when one door was opened, all the sides of the house collapsed inwards and fell like dominos. It showed extreme ingenuity by allowing it to be reset as many times as necessary and do the same thing every single time it was triggered.
Delta Ismo
Harker School
Elementary Breaking DI News
This was not a group of individuals; this was a team of brilliant young engineers. While others built their structure of strips or sheets of newspaper, they shredded the newspaper and re-engineered it into a pulp-based cone of particleboard. The final design, a cone, was possibly the strongest, best-engineered structure we have ever seen.
CNEC DI Dudes Dream Team Reunite
Clovis North Educational Center
Secondary Breaking DI News
The Torchbearer Award:
This award honors teams and/or individuals whose solutions have had extraordinary impact in and beyond their local communities.
Recipients:
50 Watt Light Bulbs
Judkins Middle School
The team chose to bring musical theater to special education students. Not only did the team have to overcome the obvious challenges, they also had to prove to professional educators that their efforts could be successful. Their tireless efforts and creative energy gave their students the confidence to succeed.