Improv may not be a commonly thought of high school organization, but for a select number of creative students from HBHS, it is an oasis. Destination Imagination is an organization that students can partake in from kindergarten until the end of high school. Destination Imagination’s vision is “to be the global leader in teaching the creative process from imagination to innovation.” Anna Giles ‘15 said it best, “Destination Imagination is just a place to have fun and be creative and be silly.”

The state competition will take place on March 28, 2015, at Winnacunnet High School in Hampton, New Hampshire. Although elementary and middle schoolers are mostly involved in the program, Destination Imagination continues through high school. Many of the students that are still involved with the team have been with it from the start. Giles has been part of the team since seventh grade and has “not looked back since”.

At the competitions, every team participates in different activities. The HBHS team’s protocol for a competition, according to Giles, is “We go in, we prepare, we do some improv games to get pumped up.” For each competition, the team goes in blind to the challenges and is not allowed to discuss the topics even after the competitions. This is a “way to see how the team works in a raw situation,” said Giles.

The head of one of the Destination Imagination teams at the high school is Ruth Kabel, who has been team manager for thirteen years. Their team name is the Flying Purple Improv People. Kabel said, “I really enjoy watching the team practice each Friday afternoon. It’s a great way to end my week.”

After many long years of bonding into a family, the seniors involved in DI will participate in their last performance, which is quite a bittersweet thought for Kabel. “I always look forward to watching my team’s performance, but since they do the improv challenge, I never know what it will look like. They are a great group and enjoy making their audience laugh, so it is always fun.”

Nathan Rodgers ‘15 described the DI team as “just a bunch of goofballs.” Rodgers has been a part of the team for ten years and has enjoyed “getting to hang out with [his] team and be so close to them.”

Since the team will be losing a majority of their members this year, Kabel suggests that “anyone who wants to be creative, work together on a team, and have a lot of fun” should consider coming to one of the practices.