NHOM is the
New Hampshire branch of
Destination Imagination. They were formerly a branch of
Odyssey of the Mind, but kept their name (not without a
battle) when they made the transition (read the
OM node for the explaination I won't
repeat here.
They went to court over the name, (pronouced like
gnome, in the long
tradition of
puns), and they won the
right to keep that and the
NHOM logo. They now follow the
DI rules (an amended set of OM's old rules).
NHOM (in mine and many other people's opinion) is one of the best DI program in the
country. They are
fortunate for the following reasons:
- They are the only DI chapter in the country to have enough support from the community to hire a full-time director (and thus it gets bigger) Jill Schoonmaker, who is very dedicated, and very awesome for the kids. She coordinates it, the fundraisers, the challenges, the local competitions, and the awareness and participation.
- In the nation, there are 13 DI camps, NHOM and New Hampshire are home to eight of them. Camp Gottalikachallenge gives enjoyment, challenges, and growth to hundreds of students each the year.
- New Hampshire has the fifth-largest DI enrollment in the country, with only a population base of one million. This means they have a higher enrollment per captita of any state or country.
- NHOM is completely funded by traditional fundraisers, membership fees, and consession items, and provided for by the school system and local government.
It's an excellent network of
coaches,
judges,
students,
alumni, and
family. Many people have raised their families on this program, with excellent results. In it's twenty year history (since 1978), it has raised quite a
tradition of
excellence, and every year the
students meet that bar, and oftentimes
exceed it.
The NHOM website is at:
http://www.nhom.org