The Fairchild Challenge is an annual, standards-based, environmental education outreach program of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. It offers a menu of separate but parallel multidisciplinary challenges for elementary, middle, and high schools, attracting students of diverse interests, abilities, talents and backgrounds.
Through The Fairchild Challenge, students research and critically evaluate environmental topics, become more actively engaged citizens, and come to appreciate more fully the beauty and value of nature. By blending content areas to create activities, projects, and "authentic experiences" that use the environment as an integrating context for learning, The Fairchild Challenge promotes science literacy, civic engagement, creative expression, and lifelong learning in students and, by extension, in their respective circles of influence.
All elementary schools earning more than 750 points, all middle schools earning more than 800 points and all high schools earning more than 1,000 points will be presented with The Fairchild Challenge Award at our awards ceremonies on Tuesday, May 15, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. for elementary schools, Wednesday, May 16, 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. for middle schools and Thursday, May 17, 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. for high schools. Additionally, students and teachers receive family passes to Fairchild, and a limited number of Fairchild Challenge T-shirts. The 16 top-scoring elementary, middle, and high schools are awarded $250 to $1,000 for their environmental programs.
Fairchild Challenge 2010-2011
Elementary School Results
Middle School Results
High School Results
"A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission
can alter the course of history." Mahatma Gandhi