We had a fabulous time!! What a wonderful place! Knoxville and the surrounding area are beautiful. We visited historic sites, took a dinner cruise down the Tennessee River, spent alot of time on the University of Tennessee campus, traded pins, and cheered on our two Midland teams. Noble and the rest of the gang went to Dollywood, while I visited a Holocaust memorial in Whitwell, Tennessee. Noble had a blast and rode many, many roller coasters. I treasured the opportunity to visit a memorial for Holocaust victims created by a group of 8th grade students in the small community of Whitwell. I teach a unit on WWII and the Holocaust and have used the documentary, "Paperclips," each year in our studies. It is a wonderful example of how a few can make a difference. www.whitwellmiddleschool.org/
Destination Imagination is an awesome organization for which I am truly grateful. Noble loves it!!!! He really has blossomed because of the opportunities it gives him to work together with a team and to creatively solve problems. www.global-finals.org/ His team placed 10th overall in the world out of 78 teams in the category of "Hit or Myth." They placed 2nd in the world in their instant challenge. This was their first trip to the global finals. We are very proud of them and their efforts. They have an incredible teacher who we appreciate very much. The high school team placed 3rd overall in the world, and these kids are great examples for the 5th graders. They genuinely created friendships with the younger kids. There were teams from China, South Korea, Singapore, Guatemala, Mexico, Columbia, the United Kingdom, Canada, Turkey, and Poland. Noble even traded his Texas cowboy hat for a Polish baseball cap, and a Texas flag for a Chinese flag. A fun time was had by all. I am so thankful to have been able to attend with Noble and to share this experience.
