SAN RAMON, CA — Students from Bella Vista Elementary School in San Ramon and Vista Grande Elementary School in Danville won first place in the Destination Imagination Global Finals, which brings together students from around the world to compete in project-based STEAM challenges.
The team of students, who called themselves “The Brainstormers”, competed in the Elementary Level Technical Challenge called “Win It Big” against teams from around the world. According to the Official Global Finals results, the Brainstormers earned 1st place overall, 1st place in the Instant Challenge, and the Renaissance Award Special Recognition.
The team received the Renaissance Award, which recognizes innovation, creativity, and engineering excellence, for their immersive carousel projection system.
As the students flew home from Kansas City, they received a congratulatory message from the pilot.
Another Bella Vista team, entitled "Glitter Not Included," placed second in the "Win It Big Technical" category of the finals. The team also won a Renaissance Award for their Instant Challenge solution. The team won 1st at the Destination Imagination regional challenge in February, and earned third place at the California state tournament in April.
SRVUSD students have a long history of top scores at the Destination Imagination competition. In 2025, a group of 6th and 7th graders from Windemere Middle School received second place overall at the Global Finals, and the Da Vinci Award, which recognizes a creative approach to problem solving.
In April 2024, a group of seven San Ramon students placed first in both regional and state-level competitions. In May 2023, a team of 8th graders from Gale Ranch and Windemere Ranch middle schools also headed to the global competition in Kansas City after placing first in a regional competition and second in a state competition.
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