2026 Life Happens Outside® Challenge Winners
Photo courtesy of Sipayik Elementary School, one of the six Life Happens Outside® Challenge winning schools.
In conjunction with mental health awareness month, Teens to Trails hosted its annual Life Happens Outside® Challenge for Maine middle schools (grades 5-8). The Challenge encouraged students, staff, and teachers across the state to get outside, as research shows spending time outdoors significantly benefits mental and physical health.
This year's Challenge was a tremendous success, with nearly 3 million minutes of outdoor time recorded across participating schools. That equals 49,596 hours, 2,066 days, or 5.7 years of time outside in just one week! The dedication of students, teachers, and staff across Maine made this year's results truly remarkable.
Students enjoyed outdoor classes, playing sports, spending time with friends and pets, riding bikes, and simply taking moments of quiet in nature. Here's what some students shared about their experiences:
"I learn better outside. School is easier when I get to be outside and active." – 8th grader, Rangeley Lakes Regional School
"I felt as if a weight has lifted, physically and mentally. I never really liked the outdoors, but being outside has had a HUGE impact on my happiness and mental health." – 7th grader, Auburn Middle School
"I feel vastly better both mentally and physically when spending time outside. Going outside allows me to clear my mind of any stress I have been feeling." – 6th grader, Hall Dale Middle School
Thanks to the generous support of lead sponsor UNUM, legacy sponsor First National Bank, and community sponsor Northeast Bank, top schools who logged the most outdoor minutes per student were awarded cash prizes to invest in future outdoor programming.
This year's winners are recognized across three size categories:
Small School
First Place – The Ecology Learning Center Bridge Program
Second Place – Sipayik Elementary
Medium School
First Place – Bucksport Middle School
Second Place – Molly Ockett Middle School
Large School
First Place – Oxford Hills Middle School
Second Place – Skowhegan Area Middle School
"We're incredibly proud of every school and student who participated this year," said Nate Snow, Executive Director of Teens to Trails. "The whole idea behind the Life Happens Outside Challenge is that real life, the good stuff, happens when you step outside. Seeing thousands of Maine students embrace that, even for just a week, is exactly why we do this work. We hope they keep that going all summer with our new Choose Outside Summer Challenge."
A special thanks to our sponsors, participating schools, and everyone who championed outdoor time for Maine students this year.
To learn more about the Challenge or winning schools in your area, please reach out to:
Connor Huggins
Outreach and Communications Manager
connor@teenstotrails.org