Team manager: Shirley Himes
Team members: Nikki Greenwood, Rachel Nelson, Tyson Tate,
Mike Cooper and Mark Ulm
Shirley Himes.
The Gold Oak Unified School District has been an active participant in the Destination Imagination program for 6 years through the guidance and coordinating efforts of Ms. Shirley Himes, a former teacher in the county and dedicated mother of two. Ms. Himes began her involvement in the program when it was called “Odyssey of the Mind” or OM. The first year she managed her son's team. The second year she managed two teams. In 1999-2000 season there were no less than 15 student teams representing El Dorado County in Region 8.
Nikki Greenwood
, one of Ms. Himes' 1999 team members, began attending Union Mine High School. She is actively involved in the California Scholastic Federation and the school French Club. She also has an ongoing career in student council, and has attended several California Association of Student Councils leadership conferences. She is in her ninth year as a Girl Scout. This summer, she will be participating in a Wider Op with Girl Scouts on which she will tour many universities and colleges in California. She plays clarinet and attends Sugarloaf Fine Arts Camp in the summer. She hopes to enter a career after college and university in plant biology. Nikki, a 4.0 student who graduated from Pleasant Valley School second in her class, decided to continue with DI as an extracurricular activity. Within weeks, Nikki approached and recruited 4 other students who shared her interest in languages (most were in the same French 1 class or enrolled in another language) and music (all the team members play in the High School band).
Rachel Nelson
, a sophomore at Union Mine High School, has a 4.0 grade average. She is actively involved in her church, and also in her community as a member of Leo Club and the California Scholastic Federation. She is an Honor Band student, playing the flute and trombone, and attends Sugarloaf Fine Arts Camp. She hopes to become drum major for Union Mine in the fall. She is also a member of the high school's Envirothon team and the Academic Decathlon Team, in which she won a gold medal this year. She has dabbled in the area of student government as a representative. She hopes to attend UC Davis and medical school, and become a doctor.
Tyson Tate
is a sophomore at Union Mine High school. He is a dedicated student with a 4.0 grade point average, and achieved High Honors in the Golden State Exam areas of Geometry and Algebra. He is very involved in the community, having served more than 100 hours in public events in the area. He works in a local veterinary clinic alongside professionals, and enjoys his job. He attended several Academic Talent Search classes in Drafting, Engineering, and Technical Drawing. He has received awards of academic excellence in the area of science, and is lettering in academics. Tyson is involved, as all our team members are, in the high school band, playing the tenor, alto, and baritone saxophones. He is also deeply interested in technology and programming.
Mike Couper
, a sophomore at Union Mine High School, is active in his community and school. He has experience in student government, and was the VP of the CSF Club last year. He is very involved in the theatre community of Placerville, and has written several plays performed by various groups in the area. He played lead roles in plays at his middle school, and received high acclaim. He is an Honor Band student and has attended Honor bands all the way up to All Northern Band, playing the bassoon, the baritone sax, and the alto sax. He is also interested in technology, and is the webmaster for Herbert Green Middle School and Union Mine High School. He was the valedictorian for his graduating middle school class, receiving many awards in the areas of Math, Drama, and GATE. He was a TA in the Academic Talent Search classes for gifted students. He has a 4.0 and has participated in the county spelling bee competition.
Mark Ulm
, a sophomore at Union Mine, has a 4.0 grade point average. He is a member of CSF and is very active in the school Key Club, an organization dedicated to community service. He is the top clarinet player in the high school, and has attended various honor bands over the years, including NorCal. He also was involved in several plays in middle school, and enjoyed performing greatly. He is active in his church as an altar boy. He is fascinated by science, especially environmental science, and hopes to learn more after high school. He also is very musical, and hopes to possibly major in it, although not to become a music teacher.