Life Happens Outside® Challenge Winners
Photo courtesy Edmunds Consolidated School, one of the four Life Happens Outside® Challenge winning schools.
To promote mental health awareness and build lifelong habits of outdoor time, Teens to Trails hosted its second-ever Spring Life Happens Outside® Challenge for Maine middle and elementary schools (grades 5-8). The Challenge ran May 9–16 and 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 30 schools from 12 counties participating and collectively recording nearly 5 million minutes of outdoor time. That equals over 82,000 hours - or nearly 9.5 years spent outside in just one week!
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 like outside.” – 6th grader, Saco Middle School
“Stepping away from screens and routines gives my brain a reset.” – 8th grader, Marshwood Middle School
“I now know that even short moments outdoors make a big difference in how I handle stress and stay focused.” – 8th grader, Boothbay Region Elementary School
“Spending time outside made me more happy and focused.” – 8th grader, Messalonskee Middle School
Thanks to the generous support of lead sponsor UNUM, and legacy sponsor First National Bank, the top four schools who logged the most outdoor minutes per student were awarded $1,000 each to invest in future outdoor programming.
The winning schools are:
Sipayik Elementary, Perry
Washburn District Elementary School, Washburn
Edmunds Consolidated School, Edmunds
The Ecology Learning Center Bridge Program, Unity - recognized as our Trailblazer in Alternative Education for logging over 4,000 minutes of outdoor time per student during Challenge week!
“We’re incredibly proud of these schools and all the students who participated,” said Alicia Heyburn, Executive Director of Teens to Trails. “The stories we heard about feeling refreshed, happier, and more relaxed confirm what research tells us - time outdoors is essential to mental and physical well-being. We hope these students continue to embrace the outdoors long after the Challenge.”
A special thanks to everyone who made this event possible and who helped foster a culture of outdoor time in schools across Maine.
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