Leander ISD was well represented at the Destination Imagination (DI) Global Finals, held from May 22-25 in Kansas City, as students from every level of learning competed in their Team Challenges. 

The Vandegrift HS Banana Split team earned 2nd place in the Fine Arts… Less is More team challenge. At the middle school level, the Stiles MS Spartan Circus earned an impressive 9th place in the Engineering team challenge, while Laura Welch Bush ES placed 4th in the High-Wire Act. 

Global Finals is the culminating tournament for Destination Imagination’s Challenge Experience. DI teams that develop solutions to DI’s six competitive challenges and advance through regional and affiliate tournaments around the world are invited to attend and compete on a global stage. 

An exciting experience for students, campus sponsors and parents alike, the DI Global Finals give students an opportunity to demonstrate creativity, collaboration and critical thinking. “As we advanced through each level in the process, we saw the confidence in the kids building,” said Stiles Spartan Circus team manager Saranya Raghupathy. “All the parents were amazed to see how creative the kids were and the kids explored new skills they never thought they had.”

In total, 20 LISD teams ranging from elementary to high school qualified to compete at the state level, with 8 advancing to the global competition. 

2025 Destination Imagination Global Challenges

Engineering: High-Wire Act

Genetically Modified – Laura Welch Bush Elementary – 4th Place 

  • Team Manager: Rush Bartlett
  • Students: Rush Bartlett, Luke Bartlett, Nolan Shaw, Dravin Sankar, Vincent Chen, Sophie Qin, Anne Countway 

Silver Shining Circus of Seven – Parkside Elementary – 8th Place

  • Team Manager: Ravi Penumetsa 
  • Students: Deeksha Penumetsa, Prananya Karri, Karthik Madadi, Sarayu Veeragani, Adhya Jasty, Sanvi Chitrala, Thanvi Vasireddy

The Stiles Spartan Circus – Stiles Middle – 9th Place 

  • Team Manager: Saranya Raghupathy
  • Students: Chahnareddy Chittemreddy, Ashwika Konchada, Saketh Donikena, Saishruti Nayak, Sri Yutika Kavi Prakash, Prateek Juloori, Venkata Sravan, Reddy Naru

Fine Arts: Less is More

Banana Split – Vandegrift High – 2nd Place

  • Team Manager: Scott Nielson 
  • Students: Hope Nielson, Violet Ralian, Sofia Malacara, Magnolia Carroll, Paula Martinez

Improvisational: Are We There Yet? 

The Chatterboxes – Cypress Elementary – 10th Place 

  • Team Manager: Annabel Lissi
  • Students: Benjamin Lin, Jack Lissi, Mallory Clark, Yonatan Karni

Off Topic – Cedar Park High – 12th Place 

  • Team Manager: Shirisha Reddy
  • Students: Anjali Carl, Sindhu Chidambaram, Bryanna Doty, Alexis Fisher, Autumn Wallace

The Yappachinos – Parkside Elementary – 19th Place 

  • Team Manager: Anu Varkey
  • Students: Isabel Maria Jinesh, Navya Singh, Anaika Ashok, Harshini Konda, Evelyn Mulloor, Ayana Rout

Service Learning: This or That

Stiles Soup-er Heroes – Stiles Middle – 13th Place

  • Team Manager: Anjali Kalani
  • Students: Bhumi Murki, Rhea Lakhani, Mounika Vennavalli, Arjun Cherukuru