Hartford-Sumner Elementary students are going to a global contest this month.

SUMNER – The Destination ImagiNation team at Hartford-Sumner Elementary School found a lot of uses for a stick of deodorant. Given one as an improvisational item at last year’s Global Finals, the creative students used it as a doughnut, an electric razor, a bag of popcorn, a can of disinfectant, and even meat tenderizer.

That ability to think creatively at a moment’s notice is part of the reason the fifth- and sixth-graders are going back to the DI Global competition in Tennessee this month.

“What I love about DI,” said team member Jedediah Allen, “is that it gets the creative part of your brain working.”

The team has been working for months to prepare its response to one of five challenges presented to teams around the world. In addition to creating an original cartoon-like story, which they act in, the students have researched cartoon writing, created unique characters, and designed and sewn their own costumes.

They’ve also learned a lot about recycling. “These kids go crazy on recycling,” said team coach Judy Smith, “because you have a $100 budget.” To stay within their budget, team member Shane Miclon collected old CDs from classmates to create his iridescent bird costume. The team also learned that mixing acrylic and latex paints will stretch them further, reducing their budget.

The eight-minute skit is only the beginning of the challenge, though. The challenge also included creating a cartoon panel depicting one scene of the story. The panel will be used as a prop in the performance, although it must be used as anything but what it actually is.

Three performances within the performance will highlight the specialties of the students. Miclon and his brother Colin will juggle during the skit. Other team members will play the flute and sing.

If that isn’t enough of a challenge, the team will be presented with an improvisational item one minute before performing their skit. The team will be judged on how the item is incorporated into the skit.

Finally, the work was done entirely by the students. Adult help with the challenge is not allowed, Smith said. “I don’t know how many times I’ll say Go back and read the problem’ when they’re asking questions,” she said. That’s all the help she can give.

With seven students to send to Tennessee, the adults have their own challenge: fund raising. In the six-weeks between the regional competition and Globals, the team and its coaches must raise almost $9,000.

Assistant coach Tammy Allen will be at Oxford Wal-Mart on May 14 to raffle a dollhouse and a teddy bear handmade from an old mink coat. Both items were donated by the families of team members.

The kids are doing their share of fund raising, too. They have taken orders for pizzas that they will make and deliver. They have popped hundreds of bags of popcorn to sell to classmates. On Saturday they will wash cars at the Buckfield town office.

As a reward for all their hard work, they will spend a weekend with teams from around the world at the Global Finals. In past years, students have met other children from Greece, China, and Israel. This year, they’ll be bringing along pocketfuls of Maine state pins to trade for pins from other states and countries.

“Oh, it’s exciting,” Smith said of Globals. “It’s magical.”