Blair sophomores advance in problem-solving tournament

A team of six sophomores at Montgomery Blair High School has advanced to the Maryland finals of the "Destination Imagination" creative problem-solving competition for the fifth consecutive year.

The team, consisting of Lynn Abe, Abby Goldman, Jordy Goldstein, Sarah Janesko, Sally Lanar, and Tess Minnick, will compete in the "Destinations in Time" category at the Maryland tournament, based on their performance at the Montgomery County competition on March 13 at Watkins Mill High School.

Lanar lives in Takoma Park. The others are Silver Spring residents. Most of these students have competed together since their days at Silver Spring International Middle School and Takoma Park Middle School.

By placing in one of the top two spots at the county competition each year, the team has advanced to the state-level competition for the fifth straight year. Last year the team placed second at the state finals to advance to the global competition in Knoxville, Tenn.

Goldman, serving as team spokesperson, said her teammates’ sights are firmly set on returning to the global tournament, which draws elementary, middle, and high school students from various states and other countries for four days of creative problem-solving tasks and performances.

She admitted she and her friends face a very steep challenge in accomplishing that goal, with the strongest competition coming from another team of Blair sophomores and a team from Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt, which also competed in Knoxville last May. 

Only two Maryland high schools will advance to the next level.          

In this year’s Montgomery County competition, Goldman’s team built a timing device out of plexiglas that moved across the floor using a conveyor belt, while the students performed a fast-paced, humorous eight-minute skit about an artist seeking inspiration and a pirate who does good deeds by accident.

The team created colorful sets and costumes that changed frequently to support their theme.

Also qualifying in the "Destinations in Time" category for the state competition was a second Blair High School sophomore team, consisting of Pratik Bhandari, Rohit Dewan, John Silberholz, Yao Xu, David White, Shwetadwip Chowdury and Michael Arbit. All are students in Blair’s math, science and computer science magnet program.

The students built a nearly 7-foot-tall water clock that counted down the team’s eight-minute performance.  The clock, built out of plywood, used electromagnets to open a door and display artwork. It  also moved 10 feet across the floor on its own power. 

Their skit involved team members traveling to Camelot, where they joined King Arthur in the search for the Holy Grail. 

The state "Destination Imagination" competition will take place on April 17 at Towson University.

Serving as team coach is Rhona Arbit. Rebecca Salon of Silver Spring serves as the team manager.