RANGELEY – Rangeley Lakes Regional School came in 2nd place in the WinterKids annual Winter Challenge, as announced February 14 by the WinterKids program.
For their third year in a row competing in the WinterKids Winter Challenge as an accepted competitor, Rangeley’s students sought to outdo the other 15 competing schools, and enjoyed both the basic challenges of the rubric and the weekly challenge that they had to meet with creativity.
When asked what the most fun part was, one student told Mt Blue TV, “Definitely when we made a huge snow angel with all of our bodies, that was really fun.” The “huge snow angel” was an angel shape with all the students standing as the outline, as part of one week’s challenge to make something little become something big.
The challenge was inspired by the broader theme of the 2024 Winter Challenge, “Little Things.” Each challenge focused on encouraging students to notice the little things around them, and to see how the little things they did could have a big impact. Other ways of doing this included things like going out on winter walks while using magnifying glasses to look at snowflakes and tree bark, or counting how many times a day they could hold a door open for someone else, according to Lindsay Richards, the physical education and health teacher as well as the wellness coordinator for the school.
The school learned that they were either second or third place a week before the results were announced, and on Tuesday February 13, one day before the announcement was made to the public, representatives from WinterKids went to the school to announce their official status in 2nd place and present them with their $3000 check for the school.
Any school or individuals can participate in the WinterKids Winter Challenge via the “play along” track, but only public schools that apply and are selected can participate in the competitive track. Schools with lower community resources and higher rates of free or reduced lunch program participants are prioritized, according to the WinterKids website. The aim is to have one school from each county in the state, for a total of 16 participating schools, but some counties may not have a qualifying school apply or an applying school meet all the criteria, while other counties may have multiple, so the exact number of schools per county may vary. This year, Franklin County had two schools participating in the competitive track: Rangeley Lakes Regional School in Rangeley, and Academy Hill in Wilton.
Every participating school receives some money, with the first place winner receiving $5000. This year, that winner was Williams-Cone School of Topsham. The lowest amount any school receives is $500, still something that can benefit the school.
Perhaps best of all, the program gives children an opportunity to engage in outdoor activities during the winter months when it is often easier to stay indoors. “It’s all about being healthy, active, loving the outdoors, and that’s kind of what Rangeley’s all about,” said Richards.
