BRUNSWICK — In October, Teens to Trails introduced the Life Happens Outside Challenge for middle and high schools in Maine. The challenge was designed to foster an appreciation for the outdoors and its many wellness benefits. Twenty-two schools participated in the week-long challenge by tracking and logging outdoor activities at home and at school.
One school in each of the Northern, Central, and Southern parts of the state was selected to win $1,000 by logging the most outdoor hours proportional to their school size. The cash prize is offered by Arcadia, a climate crisis–fighting tech company.
The winners are: Dedham School, Matinicus Island School and the REAL School in Brunswick. Runners up in each region are: Caravel Middle School in Carmel, Ecology Learning Center in Unity and Greely High School in Cumberland. The entire list of schools and their totals is available at https://teenstotrails.org/blog/life-happens-outside-challenge
“Congratulations to the winners of the Life Happens Outside® Challenge! It’s been both fun and inspiring to see so many students get outside as part of the challenge. For many of us at Arcadia, our work toward a 100 r
BRUNSWICK, ME: In October, Teens to Trails introduced the Life Happens Outside® Challenge for middle and high schools in Maine. The challenge was designed to foster an appreciation for the outdoors and its many wellness benefits. Twenty-two schools participated in the week-long challenge by tracking and logging outdoor activities at home and at school.
One school in each of the Northern, Central and Southern parts of the state was selected to win $1,000 by logging the most outdoor hours proportional to their school size. The cash prize is offered by Arcadia, a climate crisis–fighting tech company.
The winners are: Dedham School, Matinicus Island School and the REAL School in Brunswick. Runners up in each region are: Caravel Middle School in Carmel, Ecology Learning Center in Unity and Greely High School in Cumberland. The entire list of schools and their totals is available at https://teenstotrails.org/blog/life-happens-outside-challenge
“Congratulations to the winners of the Life Happens Outside® Challenge! It’s been both fun and inspiring to see so many students get outside as part of the challenge. For many of us at Arcadia, our work toward a 100% renewable energy future is inspired by our early love for the outdoors. We’re grateful for the opportunity to support these students — and future climate leaders — in discovering that same love.” said Kate Henningsen, Chief Operating Officer at Arcadia.
“We are thrilled that so many Maine schools took part in this challenge,” said Alicia Heyburn, Executive Director of Teens to Trails. “Students and teachers reported feeling refreshed, happier and more relaxed, just by taking time to enjoy the outdoors, which is exactly what we hoped for. And I hope they keep it up.”
Middle and high school students across the state spent over 9,000 hours outdoors in one week — 11+ hours per participant. This is well-above the national average; children aged 10 to 16 now spend a mere 12 minutes a day on vigorous outdoor activity.
“We received photos and notes from teachers and students cataloging local hikes, harvesting pumpkins, playing kick the can and so many more fun outdoor activities,” said Heyburn. One student wrote, “I definitely enjoyed being outside. I loved how it was a very simple thing for me to do with a huge outcome.” And another said, “Spending more time outdoors made me feel more active and helped relieve lots of stress.” The winning schools will use their $1,000 prize to further outdoor access at their schools.
Tim Pearson, a Physical Education teacher at the Dedham School, said his middle school students are currently brainstorming the best ways to use their prize money. Some ideas include purchasing new winter sleds, developing another daylong outdoor event for the school, and using any leftover funds to continue developing trails used by students and families year-round.
Whatever the school chooses, Pearson said the reaction to the challenge has been positive. “This was a great program. We had parents and staff members that suggested we have a Life Happens Outside® week every year!”
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Teens To Trails is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit dedicated to connecting students to life-changing outdoor experiences with a vision that all teens have the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors together.
Arcadia is a climate crisis-fighting technology company founded in 2014 and born out of a simple idea—everyone deserves access to clean energy. Arcadia is building technology to connect consumers and businesses with local solar farms to provide all the benefits of solar with none of the hassle. Arcadia’s community solar program manages more than five Terawatt-hours of residential and commercial energy demand and is the largest manager of community solar assets in the country. Find out how you or your business can help achieve the vision of a 100 percent clean energy future at http://www.arcadia.com.
Renewable energy future is inspired by our early love for the outdoors. We’re grateful for the opportunity to support these students — and future climate leaders — in discovering that same love.” said Kate Henningsen, Chief Operating Officer at Arcadia.
“We are thrilled that so many Maine schools took part in this challenge,” said Alicia Heyburn, executive director of Teens to Trails. “Students and teachers reported feeling refreshed, happier and more relaxed, just by taking time to enjoy the outdoors, which is exactly what we hoped for. And I hope they keep it up.”
Middle and high school students across the state spent over 9,000 hours outdoors in one week — 11-olus hours per participant. This is well-above the national average; children aged 10 to 16 now spend a mere 12 minutes a day on vigorous outdoor activity.
“We received photos and notes from teachers and students cataloging local hikes, harvesting pumpkins, playing kick the can and so many more fun outdoor activities,” said Heyburn. One student wrote, “I definitely enjoyed being outside. I loved how it was a very simple thing for me to do with a huge outcome.” And another said, “Spending more time outdoors made me feel more active and helped relieve lots of stress.” The winning schools will use their $1,000 prize to further outdoor access at their schools.
Tim Pearson, a physical education teacher at the Dedham School, said his middle school students are currently brainstorming the best ways to use their prize money. Some ideas include purchasing new winter sleds, developing another daylong outdoor event for the school, and using any leftover funds to continue developing trails used by students and families year-round.
Whatever the school chooses, Pearson said the reaction to the challenge has been positive. “This was a great program. We had parents and staff members that suggested we have a Life Happens Outside week every year!”
Teens To Trails is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit dedicated to connecting students to life-changing outdoor experiences with a vision that all teens have the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors together.
Arcadia is a climate crisis-fighting technology company founded in 2014 and born out of a simple idea—everyone deserves access to clean energy. Arcadia is building technology to connect consumers and businesses with local solar farms to provide all the benefits of solar with none of the hassle. Arcadia’s community solar program manages more than five Terawatt-hours of residential and commercial energy demand and is the largest manager of community solar assets in the country. Find out how you or your business can help achieve the vision of a 100% clean energy future at http://www.arcadia.com.