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Belldegrun Center for Innovative Leadership

Our future leaders will be more effective if they can think innovatively. The Belldegrun Center for Innovative Leadership inspires students to follow their curiosity beyond the textbook, grapple with real-world challenges, and in the process develop lifelong leadership skills. It inspires students not only to generate original ideas, but also to take action and execute those ideas.

The program grows with our students, from kindergarten through 12th grade, introducing age-appropriate projects and hands-on learning that builds the skills, mindset, and confidence that our world’s challenges will demand. Every student, no matter their age, becomes a problem-solver.

BCIL Students Ask Big Questions

A white girl and Asian boy smile for the camera showing off their blue robot
Can I control a robot with only thoughts?

JoJo F. ’26 and Eric G. ’26 took on this challenge when they were sophomores, adapting a tool used in neurology and earning an honorable mention in the LA County Science Fair.

A blonde girl in a black sweatshirt poses next to science equipment in a lab
What does the sugar in my energy drink do to me?

Sophia S. '29 won first place in chemistry, junior division, at the California State Science Fair for an impressive statistical analysis of the impact of sugar in energy drinks. Also competing: 857 participants from 344 schools.

Students present their inclusive playground designs.
How can I play with my friend who is disabled?

Fifth graders visited an accessible playground and met with experts, then developed blueprints and prototypes for accessible playground structures.

A boy with brown curly hair opens the lid of a yellow bin revealing a hydroponic system
What if you could grow a garden under your desk?

Ariel S. ’25 devised a hydroponic system that takes up so little space, it could produce a family’s veggies almost anywhere.

A white middle school boy in a bright blue polo stands next to a microscope holding a beaker of green liquid
What if every boat eliminated harmful algae?

As a 6th grader, Jackson A. ’30 impressed the judges in our Innovation Challenge with SmartOcean, his device to detect algal blooms and eradicate them.

Could Sunset Boulevard be safer?
Could Sunset Boulevard be safer?

Budding urban planners in 2nd grade presented ways to make this busy thoroughfare safer for commuters, consulting with a director from the LA Department of Transportation throughout the process.

The Superhero Project

A redheaded girl shows off the research for her project

Some projects stretch from kindergarten through 12th grade. For the Superhero Project, Lower Schoolers invented 37 superheroes to tackle one of three UN Sustainable Development Goals: Climate Action, Good Health and Well-Being, or Respectful and Caring Communities.

Weather too hot? Call Climate Girl! Water impure? Greninja to the rescue! 

Upper School AP Computer Science students used these Lower School prototypes to create video games and animations, using Scratch, MIT’s free coding software. Drawing students designed comic book–style superheroes, practicing sequential art and character design, then combined them into a Community Superheroes coloring book. 

The project inspired joyful and innovative collaboration across grades and disciplines.

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