The 27-year-old Paralympic athlete said the only barriers in their way were ones of their own making.
"I want kids to know that you can grow up with big sporting dreams and you can achieve them from our corner of the country as well."
The three-time Paralympic gold medallist was at the Dunedin school to talk to pupils about her experiences at the recent games in Paris.
The class clapped with excitement as Grimaldi showed footage of her winning the 200m sprints at the recent Paris Paralympic Games, and there were "oohs and aahs" when she showed them her gold medal.
Grimaldi told them she was 16 when she took up athletics, and won her first gold in 2016.
The year 1-3 pupils relished the opportunity to ask Grimaldi questions about how fast she can run, how many medals had she won, and why she had "a black thing on her arm" when she ran.
"When I was in my mum’s tummy, I didn’t grow a second hand," she said.
One also asked how she held up the flag as flag bearer with only one hand.
She told pupils she used a hair tie attached to the prosthetic on her right arm to help her hold it up.
After the event, she said it was "nice" to be able to return and share her experiences with the community.
"I’m so proud to be from Dunedin."
Grimaldi returned to New Zealand last week after a post-Paralympics holiday overseas, and she is now looking forward to preparing for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
