The DIsigning Bridges team presentation unfolds as Nelson Mandela visits a classroom in France and tells the story of his life. He uses the conflict between grapes and peanuts to represent the apartheid (segregation of Blacks and Whites) in South Africa. The connection between South Africa and France is through the sanctions placed by France to help end the apartheid. The testing of the bridge represents the pressure applied by the world on South Africa to end apartheid

The team loves DI because:

Spencer – it’s fun, exciting and makes me feel better about myself
Olivia – I make friends
Daniel – I’ve learned how to do things that I would have never done
Ted – "It’s not every day that you can build a bridge."

*DaVinci Award: Powhatan School, Virginia. An ingenious pop-up book illuminated the story and presented a 3-dimensional view of the various scenes and props. Worms crawled over the pages, gophers poked their heads through the dirt, and grapes hung from the vines beneath the rising sun. Hours of work and artistic talent were obvious.