WINTERPORT, Maine — Members of the fifth-grade Destination Imagination team from Wagner Middle School traveled to Old Town last week to drop off a much needed donation.
The team, which calls itself the Animal Justice League, raised more than $600 for the Old Town Animal Orphanage in a little over a month, according to Cassandra Palmer, who along with Sarah McVeigh advises the team.
The funds along with some purchased cat food were presented to Animal Orphanage board president Lori Smart after school on Monday, Feb. 22.
Destination Imagination is a national program in which teams made up of of comprised of kindergarten through grade 12 students are asked to solve two creative challenges.
One is an instant challenge in which teams are given a problem that must be solved within a short time limit, typically building or acting challenges, Palmer said. Teams do not know what their challenge will be ahead of time.
The other is a central challenge in which teams choose a problem to solve. They must, among other things, create an interesting presentation to demonstrate their solution within strict guidelines and time limits.
For their central challenge, the Animal Justice League chose community service, namely the needs of lost or stray animals in the area, by supporting a no-kill animal shelter.
Team members created a meme of a sad kitty/happy kitty to help spread the word that they wanted to help animals. The team project plan called for meeting its goal by holding bake sales, asking Wal-Mart for a donation, putting collection cans in local businesses and redeeming bottles.