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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 challenge 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?
How do library drop-offs work?
Do students need to fill out a photograph release form in order for their picure/work to be shown?
QUESTIONS ABOUT 2011-201 CHALLENGES
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 100,000 students and teachers from 236 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 2 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 competitions and may accomplish this by entering any number of the challenges.
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 challenge entry form, should be submitted through the method suggested on the entry form. There are three different possibilities, depending on the type of challenge: 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 challenge or a research poster (middle school competition), 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 challenge entries (with the exception of the art and research poster challenges) 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 challenge 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.
How do library drop-offs work?
Teachers can drop off entries at selected public libraries (please see individual challenges for submission restrictions as some entries may be too large in size for library drop-off sites). Please contact Fairchild staff and inform them when and where entries where dropped off as to insure that it will be picked up on time.
Do students need to fill out a photograph release form in order for their picure/work to be shown?
The Fairchild Challenge program policies state that by participating in the program, "Schools consent to Fairchild's unrestricted use of student work and participants' likeness, including photographs and our audio/visual recordings made of participants and/or their entries, at Fairchild or elsewhere. Fairchild must be notified in writing of any exceptions."
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Questions About 2011-2012 Challenges
MS Challenge 1A & 1B: The Last of My Species
Can the skit have music?
No music, pre-recorded or live.
Is humming allowed during skit?
Yes, but no instruments or singing is allowed.
Can the song be acted out?
Yes, a dance can be performed during the song.
Can students bring in a CD of music or sound or play instruments on stage?
No pre-recorded music or instruments for skit or song is allowed.
Can schools perform on both dates?
No. Schools must chose to do either skit (performed on Weds. Oct. 19) or song (performed on Thurs. Oct. 20), schools cannot do both.
MS Challenge 2A & 2B: T-Shirt Designs
Can students create an outline in black (or any other color) and then fill in design in another color for the FC design?
No, black is considered a color and lighter or darker shades of any color is considered color gradation and will lose points during evaluation.
Can it be computer generated and then manipulated?
Yes, as long as the end design is original.
Can the song be acted out?
Yes, a dance can be performed during the song.
What colors can be used for the Baynanza design?
Any color can be used and color gradation is allowed.
Where can you see past winning entries?
Flickr and the Student Showcase sites.
MS Challenge 3: Botanical Fashion Show
Can individuals create accessories to accentuate their outfits as well?
Yes, but judges will only evaluate the students on the outfits they created.
If students wish to create accessories, do they need to be made out of plants?
If the accessory is an integral part of the culture, it must be made out of plants.
May unmannufactured cotton be used?
IIt depends on how the cotton is used. If your students plan to use it in its natural state, they certainly can integrate it into their outfits. On the other hand, if they plan to purchase an outfit constructed entirely from unmanufactured cotton, then we wouldn't recommend using it.
Does cutting the plant mean altering it?
No, it does not.
Do the boy and girl outfits have to match time periods or style? Can the girl dress be one style or representing one time period and the boy another?
No, the outfits your students create do not need to match time periods or style, but do need to be reflective of the same culture.
What kind of bonding agent can be used to arrange plant materials into outfits?
Any kind of glue can be used as long as it does not alter the plant material. There are natural glues that can be bought or even made. Plants can also be sewn together. The plants should retain their natural characteristic, meaning that they can be used fresh or dried. If covering the plants with a clear glue enamel, it should look as natural as possible.
Can the plants be spray painted or dyed for color?
No. Outfits should be made with natural plant materials and should retain their natural characteristics.
When constructing the outfits, may the plants be glued to an already made shirt or paper bags that were molded into the shape of the outfit?
Yes, either method is acceptable. In order to avoid losing points during the judging process, remind students that all visible parts on the outfit(s) must be made entirely of real plant material.
Can we sew the plant material together?
Yes.
What is typically used for the base of the outfit?
There is no typical base used by students to create their botanical fashions. Students are extremely creative and the designer usually makes this decision.
Can dried plants and/or pollen be used?
Yes. Plant outfits may be made of live or dead plant matter, pollen included. Students are encouraged to use a variety of plants and plant parts; please use plants that are durable. Be sure to avoid toxic or endangered plants, and invasive plant seeds.
What takes place during the mandatory pre-judging?
During pre-judging, students are responsible for a one minute presentation of their outfits and answering questions from judges.
What if model was not the designer and the designer was not able to attend the Botanical Fashion Show?
Model is still responsible for one minute presentation of the outfits.
What will the outfit description submitted in Table 3A be used for?
Description of outfits submitted in Table 3A will be read by the MC to entire audience during the Botanical Fashion Show.
Do schools have to submit/create outfits on the entry due date?
NO, schools only need to submit Table 3A and entry form by entry due date.
If changes to outfit are made at the last minute and outfit doesn’t match submitted table, would a school loose points?
Yes. If any changes are made to the outfit, a new Table 3A must be submitted with the changes prior to the fashion show.
MS Challenge 3B: Olympic Wreath - Global Competition
Do wreaths need to be modeled by students?
No, students do not have to attend the Botanical Fashion Show to enter this challenge. Wreaths must be submitted to Fairchild for evaluation prior to Saturday, December 3, 9:00 a.m. Judging will take place on that Saturday without student participants. Wreaths will be displayed following evaluations, from 12:00 - 4:30 p.m. during the Botanical Fashion Show at Fairchild.
How large or small do wreaths have to be?
There are no size restrictions, but they must be able to be worn on a person’s head.
Will winning wreath need to be reconstructed to send to London?
No. During judging a professional photographer will take pictures of the wreaths and will send the pictures of the winning wreaths to our partner BGCI and entered into a larger international competition, The 2011-2012 Fairchild Challenge/BGCI Global Competition. The winning entries of this competition will be displayed during the London 2012 Summer Olympics.
Do the wreaths need to be open in the back or can the be circles?
We do not have requirements regarding open vs. closed wreaths. Therefore, the choice is completely up to your students.
Can we use thin wire to keep them in shape or do they need to be only natural twigs in the form of a circle?
The base of the wreath, as well as all visible parts of the wreath must be natural. However, schools can use non-natural items/products to tie or adhere materials to the wreath. If you choose to use wire to keep the circular shape of the wreath, make sure to cover any visible wire with natural material(s).
MS Challenge 4A & 4B: A Better World For Plants
In which format does the reference page have to be submitted?
It can be in either MLA or APA format.
Does there need to be in-text citations for either of the writing pieces?
No, but a reference page must be included for either genre, creative narrative or persuasive speech. MS Challenge 5: Fabulous Flowers of Florida - Global Showcase
MS Challenge 5: Fabulous Flowers of Florida - Global Showcase
Can students use markers for the drawing?
No, only graphite and/or colored pencils allowed.
Can students use a combination of pencils, ink and photos in the collage?
Yes. The only restrictions are that students don’t use plant materials or pastels in the collage (due to possible storage problems). Fairchild is not responsible for lost or damaged entries.
MS Challenge 6: Plant Biology, Botany and Agriculture
Can students submit their Science Fair projects?
Yes, as long as the experiment is in the fields of plant biology, botany or agriculture focusing on conservation implications.
Will students need to come to Fairchild to present their projects?
NO, students will be judged solely on what is presented on the display board.es, as long as the experiment is in the fields of plant biology, botany or agriculture focusing on conservation.
Can a group of students work together on one experiment?
Yes, this challenge is for groups or individuals, but schools only submit two (2) display boards as entries.
MS Challenge 7: Green Treasures
Can articles be submitted in a foreign language?
No, newsletters must be written in English. However, interviews can be conducted in any language.
Who can the student interview?
Students can interview any one that is their elder, such as a parent, teacher, coach, etc.
MS & HS School Garden/Habitat Restoration
How will schools be evaluated if the garden/habitat project is not new, but a continuation of the previous years?
Schools must include a before and after picture of work done during the 2011-2012 school year only. If garden/habitat project is ongoing, please limit this year’s submission to what work has been done this year. Schools will be judged on how they have added and/or improved different aspects of their projects such as interpretive materials, increased student involvement, environmentally-friendly strategies used, etc.
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 Alison Walker (awalker@fairchildgarden.org) for more information.
Are there any size restrictions for this entry?
Entry must be on a regular sized paper of 8.5" x 11". No artist's portfolio will be accepted for submission.
Does the teacher summary need to be written by only one person?
No, summary can be written by a group of teachers, but summary must not exceed one letter size paper (see above for size restrictions).
K-8 Schools
Can K-8 schools submit two garden grant applications?
Yes. If you are a K-8 school you must submit two separate school garden grant applications: one grant for the "elementary school garden" and the other for the "middle school garden". The students must create and submit two different reports that explain how the garden was developed by the two different groups of students. In other words, one report must focus on the elementary school students' experience as opposed to the middle school students' experience. We encourage both gardens to be accessible to the entire school population, but for the option entires and grant allocation, it must focus on different school levels.
MS & HS Environmental Action
Are there any resources for teachers that can help with the Environmental Action challenge?
Yes, teachers can visit our teaching modules that include lesson plans, attend the Environmental Action professional development workshop, and download the “How-to Guide” for this challenge.
What languages are accepted for the foreign language component?
Students may use any language as long as the English translation is included in the entry submission.
last updated: 11/14/11
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