Gratton Elementary School is heading to Washington, D.C., to compete in the International Future City Competition for the fifth straight year after its team of 7th and 8th graders, led by Rexann Casteel, took home first place at the Northern California portion of the competition on Jan. 26.

Students rely on creativity and materials around them to create cities of the future for the contest, exploring different technologies and solutions for cities that have been struck by natural disasters in their models. By using renewable energy and futuristic technology, students aim to rebuild the cities into sustainable, living environments.

The team, named “Fuente de Vida,” created a model imagined 100 years from now in Puerto Rico which represented an environmentally-friendly, resilient city. The students focused on creating renewable energy to ensure the city could still run in the event of a hurricane, as well as ways to help the city both protect its citizens in the event of natural disaster and thrive in the aftermath.

The Future City Competition Finals will take place Feb. 19.