2018 Fairchild
Challenges & Winners!
Michaela Brining, teacher Christina Palladino and
Emily Ehrenberger at the FC awards ceremony at Phipps in May.
C hallenge #1 - Sustainable
& Healthy Meals –
“Eco Edibles”
Students independently created 10
original recipes called Eco Edibles.
They were challenged to create
vegetable- or fruit-based recipes
where all parts of the plant are used,
thus creating little to no waste. Also
they had to research and write about
the global and environmental impact
of this type of thinking. Ingredients
included banana peels, watermelon
rind and asparagus stalks.
Shaler Area won first place in
this challenge. Michaela Brining
deserves special recognition for her
participation in this activity even
though it was a group effort.
C hallenge #2 - Visual Art
– “Petals and Pollinators”
Students had to research the
co-evolution of flowers and their
pollinators and create a mixed-media
poster depicting a fictional flower, its
pollinator, and its habitat. In addition,
the students had to write a description
of their fictional flower incorporating
traits based on their research.
Emily Ehrenberger created an
embroidered flower, placing 3rd.
PJ Squire also entered, receiving
a special merit award.
C hallenge #3 -
Environmental Design
– “Eco Lots”
Students Emily Ehrenberger
and PJ Squire envisioned an
area of the Pittsburgh Food
Truck Park in Millvale housing
an eco-lot, or a community
garden, that would allow for
organic produce to be grown
locally and a safe play area for
children.
Emily Ehrenberger completed
the writing and research
portion and PJ Squire drew the
architectural sketch of the design
idea. They placed first.
C hallenge #4 -
Creative Writing –
“Environmental Prose”
The challenge was to be a nature
activist through fictional writing.
Students created a plausible story
set in the present or future that draws
attention to some environmental issue.
Junior Evan Walsh wrote
about deer and chronic
wasting disease, a contagious,
always fatal disease that
affects deer and elk. Freshman
Hannah Coleman wrote
about beekeeping in rural
Pennsylvania.
C hallenge #5 - Take Action
– “Environmental Action:
Home, School, or
Community”
The Shaler Area team created
a calendar of environmental
activities that took place over
the course of the year including
growing and planting seedlings
for the Garden of Etna, teaching
preschool classes about healthy
eating, focusing on buying local
with a CSA share and “Fresh
Fruit Fridays,” and hosting 4th
grade GATE students for a bio-
cube activity.
SHALER
Tower Garden
❘
FALL 2018
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