Eight Leander ISD teams competed at the 2026 Destination Imagination Globals Challenge from May 21-24 in Kansas City. The teams competed in events spanning from engineering to fine arts to service learning and more.

At DI competitions, teams compete in Team Challenges, which take the form of a longer-term project which they prepare for the competition, as well as Instant Challenges, which provide teams with an opportunity to showcase their creativity and critical thinking in a fast-paced environment.

Global Finals is the culminating tournament for Destination Imagination’s Challenge Experience, and offers students the opportunity to showcase their creativity, collaboration and critical thinking.

In total, 20 LISD teams qualified to compete at the state level, with 8 advancing to the global competition.

2026 Destination Imagination Challenge

Engineering

The Potato Nerds — Laura Welch Bush ES — 2nd Place

Students: Estella Moschella, Luke Bartlett, Hayes Williams, Deetri Sankar, Claire Vann, Grace Langehennig, Evie Brown
Team Manager: Rush Bartlett

Nine Tailed — Canyon Ridge MS — 2nd Place

Students: Nolan Shaw, Sophie Qin, Russ Barlett, Vincent Chen, Ann Countway, Dravin Sankar, Vihan Kumar
Team Mangaer: Ning Shao

Fine Arts

Glimmering Gumdrops — Running Brushy MS — 2nd Place

Students: Maya Oberoi, Roshni Ramani, Veronica Rincon-Rivera, Emmy Nguyen (Leander MS)
Team Manager: Liz Rivera

Banana Split — Vandegrift HS — 7th Place

Students: Hope Nielson, Paula Martinez, Violet Ralian, Magnolia Carroll, Sofia Malacara
Team Managers: Scott & Heather Nielson

Service Learning

Ninja DIers — Steiner Ranch ES — 10th Place

Students: Kaiven Mak, Phi Nguyen, Owen Poon, Zahraa Hafiz, Mahith Penmetsa, Jaoquin Resurreccion
Team Manager: Bonnie Kwan

Do’Nut Disturb — Rouse HS — 2nd Place

Students: Alishba Emtiyaz, Nishwanth Gopu, Diya Sateesh, Antara Karthik
Team Manager: Anupama Cherukuri

Scientific

7Up Squad — Stiles MS — 12th Place

Students: Ingrid Lee, Melis Birlik, Hridya Bino, Sri Samanvitha Chilupuri, Ashvath Reddy Peddapuram Venkata, Hashem ElTayyeb, Hazel Lee
Team Managers: Muge Birlik, Lekshmi Divakaran

Technical

Seven Silver Stallions — Steiner Ranch ES — 10th Place

Students: Charlotte Martin, Lucy Clifford, Alani West, Caleb Chandraraj, Ava Littrell, Dash Fraschetti, Nysa Badarpura
Team Manager: Maura Graham