Tippecanoe High School’s Destination Imagination (DI) team, Just Henry., has achieved a significant milestone—capturing first place at the Ohio DI Tournament and being invited to compete at Global Finals later this month in Kansas City, Missouri. The prestigious Global Finals event brings together elite student teams from across the United States and over 20 other countries to compete in a celebration of creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking.
“When we heard our name called for first place, our team was so excited. We worked really hard on our presentation and device this year, and we badly wanted to go to Globals. It was such an amazing experience,” said Audrey Jackson, a THS freshman who has been involved with DI for nine years.
The team took on the Thrill Ride engineering challenge, which required them to design and build a device capable of lifting weights along a rope stretched between two points. Teams also had to incorporate a skit centered around a circus theme, seamlessly integrating art and engineering into an engaging performance.
Jackson said, “We based our skit on a school girl who has to “balance” her life’s problems and figure out how she could handle them.”
Just Henry. impressed judges with their innovative approach and compelling story of a schoolgirl navigating life’s ups and downs—a performance that combined technical precision, storytelling, and humor uniquely and powerfully.
When asked what helped the team stand out to the judges, she said, “I think our teamwork and creativity are some of our team’s best qualities. We work together in multiple aspects of our presentation, which makes us stand out because DI is such a team-based activity.” She also credits the team member’s strong communication skills, high energy, and ability to get along so well with each other.
Teammate Logan Grubbs echoed the sentiments adding, “I’m proud of how well our team worked together building the actual engineering project and the story for our skit.”
The team’s success is a testament to the power of student-driven problem-solving and perseverance. “After the regional tournament, we scheduled additional practices to prepare for state. We continued to make improvements to our transporter, which is the main engineering component of our project. The biggest challenge is getting the transporter to work without weighing too much,” added Logan.
The team comprises seven Tippecanoe High School students. The other team members are Addison Simons, Aubrey Ernst, Ela Van Oss, Henry Ranly, and Milo Green. Parents Renee Matsunami and Katie Ernst are Team Managers.
Preparing for Globals is a big challenge, requiring countless hours of refining ideas, perfecting performances, and working together as a team under pressure. But these enthusiastic students embrace the opportunity with energy, creativity, and a true team spirit as they gear up to compete on the world stage.
Now, as the students prepare for their international debut, they are also working quickly to fundraise and offset the cost of registration, travel, and lodging. The registration fee exceeds $5,000. The team is exploring sponsorships and community support to realize this dream.
