Frequently Asked Questions
 

 

What is the Fairchild Challenge?

How do I get my school involved?

How can I get more booklets?

I would like to participate. How do I get started?

How can I get more teachers involved at my school?

How do I submit a Challenge entry?

What happens to the option entries?

Can we see the judges' evaluation sheets?

Can we see other schools scores?

What is your goal?

How will I benefit from participating in the Fairchild Challenge?

Does Fairchild pay for transportation for Challenge events?

Can we submit more than the maximum number of entries?

Where should I send the forms?

Can I receive additional booklets to share with others?

How can I stay informed about important events, deadlines and other information for the Fairchild Challenge?

QUESTIONS ABOUT 2010-2011 OPTIONS

 

 

What is the Fairchild Challenge?
Designed for students of diverse interests, abilities, talents and backgrounds, the Fairchild Challenge is Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden's annual environmental education outreach program. With separate but parallel programs for students in grades Pre-K to 5, 6 to 8 and 9 to 12, the Fairchild Challenge is composed of multidisciplinary competitions and activities aligned with the New Generation Sunshine State Standards.

The Fairchild Challenge options are intended to appeal to students through hands-on activities that encourage them to experiment with ideas, develop skills, seek information and voice opinions. This free program is open to all schools in the South Florida area. Last year, over 70,000 students and teachers from 150 elementary, middle and high schools participated. Gardens and other institutions as near as Central Florida and as far as Costa Rica have replicated the Fairchild Challenge model as our Fairchild Challenge Satellite Partners.

How do I get my school involved?
A team of Fairchild Challenge coordinators at your school (consisting of at least 3 teachers in diverse disciplines plus a media center representative) submits one registration form. All administrators and faculty should be notified that your school is registered. Schools are encouraged to include as many students as possible in the various Challenge options and may accomplish this by entering any number of the Challenge options.

How can I get more booklets? 
The program booklets can be downloaded from the elementary school, middle school and high school webpages, or you can request copies of the booklets to be mailed to your school by filling out the online application and submitting it by email, fax, or mail.

I would like to participate. How do I get started?
Find out if your school is registered by viewing the updated lists found on the elementary school, middle school and high school webpages. If it is not yet registered, complete the registration form for your school. Registered schools will receive an email confirmation within two days. Any student or teacher at a school is eligible to participate. We encourage four teachers from different disciplines and an administrator to sign the registration form. Teachers should coordinate the judging of the entries at their school in order to send the best entry.

How can I get more teachers involved at my school?
Fairchild Challenge staff is available to visit schools to introduce the program at faculty meetings or student assemblies. School faculty can also request additional copies of the booklet to give to other teachers or administrators and/or a program DVD to show to other interested parties.

How do I submit a Fairchild Challenge entry?
Following the stated policies and requirements, teachers submit the best entries with a completed entry form downloaded from the elementary, middle or high school Fairchild Challenge websites. Each entry form contains a checklist of required items for submission. The entry, with the completed option entry form, should be submitted through the method suggested on the entry form. There are three different possibilities, depending on the type of option: electronic submission, delivery to Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Miami-Dade Public Library entry drop-off.

  • If it is a written paper, we urge you to submit it electronically to Challengepk-5@fairchildgarden.org, Challenge6-8@fairchildgarden.org or Challenge9-12@fairchildgarden.org
  • If it is an art option or a research poster (middle option), you will need to bring it to Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden between  9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., or by appointment. Weekends are possible, but require advance notice. 
  • All option entries (with the exception of the art or research poster options) can also be left at one of the eight conveniently located Miami-Dade Public Library drop-off sites. Entries can only be left at these particular branch libraries, and must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on the entry due date.

What happens to submitted option entries?
Each student entry is judged by a panel of experts at Fairchild according to predetermined evaluation criteria. The evaluation criteria can be downloaded from the elementary school, middle school or high school webpages. Scores are emailed to all teachers on each school's contact list. You will only receive your school's scores; we do not not disclose other schools' scores or standing in the competition. Along with your school's updated school score, you will be notified by e-mail of any awards earned by your school. Final results will be announced and prizes will be awarded at the awards ceremonies in May.

Can we see the judges' completed scoring sheets?
Schools will be provided with their point value but the completed score sheets are not released after the judging panels. The template for the scoring sheets is available on the Fairchild Challenge website.

Can we see other schools scores?
Schools are provided with their individual scores throughout the year, but the competition standings are not released until the awards ceremonies in May.

What is your goal?
All schools that earn the designated point totals for each year will be presented with the Fairchild Challenge Award at the awards ceremony in May. Schools receiving the Fairchild Challenge Award for five consecutive years will be honored as a Fairchild Challenge School of Excellence and will receive a banner for their school. 

How will I benefit from participating in the Fairchild Challenge?
The Fairchild Challenge is designed to increase student's environmental awareness, scholarship and stewardship. Ninety percent of students surveyed in 2010 indicated that they enjoyed the program and would recommend it to other students. Ninety-seven percent of teachers surveyed indicated that they benefited from the Fairchild Challenge and plan to participate in the future.

In order to encourage students to visit the garden with their family, all actively-participating students receive a four-person pass to Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, along with a program T-shirt. The sixteen top-scoring schools receive monetary awards of $250 (10 schools), $500 (5 schools), or $1,000 (1 school) to be used towards their environmental programs.

Fairchild also offers grants and resources throughout the school year for participating schools.

Does Fairchild pay for transportation for Fairchild Challenge events?
Fairchild will accept applications for transportation reimbursement from Title 1 schools for Fairchild Challenge events and/or field trips. The reimbursement application form is available on the website.

Can we submit more than the maximum number of entries?
In order to make the program available to all schools, the number of entries that we can receive from each school is limited; therefore, we cannot accept additional entries. We encourage schools to host school events, such as your own school-wide performance or botanical fashion show, to help teachers and students determine the top entries to send to Fairchild for judging.

Where should I send the forms?
All completed forms must be mailed, faxed or delivered to:

FAIRCHILD CHALLENGE (Attention: Pre-K to 5, or 6 to 8, or 9 to12)
FAIRCHILD TROPICAL BOTANIC GARDEN
10901 Old Cutler Road,
Coral Gables, FL 33156-4296
Fax 305.400.0265

Can I receive additional booklets to share with others?
We are happy to mail additional booklets to you - the additional resources request form is available on the website.

How can I stay informed about important events, deadlines and other information for the Fairchild Challenge?
Please see the calendar for important dates and information. Fairchild Challenge staff maintains regular e-mail contact with participating teachers through a monthly e-newsletter. For this reason, we ask all of our teachers to keep us informed of your current e-mail address(es). This is especially important if you are taking a lead role in organizing your school's Challenge activities. The monthly e-newsletter provides reminders and updates for deadlines, grant applications, workshops and other Fairchild Challenge related information. This newsletter is also available on the Fairchild Challenge website.

 

Questions About 2010-2011 Options 

 

MS Option 7: Green Treasures: Intergenerational Interviews

What is the size requirement for the summary booklet?
While there is no stated size restriction for the booklet, please make sure that there are ten student summaries (each taking up no more than two pages). There should be 11 double sided or 22 single sided sheets (or the equivalent). The booklet must include a title page and a table of contents. Please view judges' scoring sheet on the middle school webpage.

 

HS Option 8: Research Projects
What are the requirements for Option 8-Research Projects?

2010-2011 Topics:
A. Green Wall/Green Roof
B. Green Cuisine
C. Solar Inventions
D. Ecology Restoration

General requirements for all four of this year's research project topics (as noted on page 21 of the high school Fairchild Challenge 2009-2010 booklet) are given below. Specific requirements for each of these topics can be found below the general requirements listing in the booklet.  Students should be available to present their projects to the judges at the Research Projects Showcase,and be prepared to give a two-minute presentation and respond to the judges’ questions. Teachers, please plan accordingly and choose students who are available for the Showcase on Saturday, April 10.

  • Select one research project from the list of four provided above and described on page 20.
  • Projects must be presented by students for judging at the Fairchild Challenge Research Projects Showcase on Saturday, April 10, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., at Fairchild.
  • Students must provide a two-minute presentation in which they explain their projects, as well as answer any questions posed by judges at the Showcase.
  • Projects will be judged on research, accuracy, technical ability, creativity, clarity of explanation, impact, and presentation. Please view judges' scoring sheet on the high school webpage.
  • School submits: Option 8 entry form and supporting written materials; up to four projects (one project per topic), to be presented by students for judging on Saturday, April 10.
  • Due at Fairchild: 5:00 p.m., Wednesday, March 17 - completed entry form and supporting materials (if applicable) are due on this date.
  • Mandatory attendance at the Research Projects Showcase, Saturday, April 10: student presenters and projects must arrive by 1:00 p.m. Judging begins at  1:30 p.m.; however, the public will view the projects starting at 1:00 p.m.

 

 

MS & HS School Garden/Habitat Restoration

How do we participate in the pine rockland school garden opportunity?
Schools can create a pine rockland garden on their own by using the online resources available or schools have the option to participate in a larger countywide effort to reestablish pine rocklands. Schools interested in participating in the countywide initiative should contact awalker@fairchildgarden.org for more information.

last updated: 07/30/10