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Shaler Area HS and MS students take top honors in The Fairchild Challenge at Phipps: Challenge #4

The Shaler Area High School and Middle School teams each won first place in the fourth challenge of The Fairchild Challenge at Phipps.

Shaler Area Middle School and High School students are competing against peers throughout the area in the Fairchild Challenge at Phipps, a yearlong environmental competition.

Students are asked to complete a series of six challenges throughout the year that focus on a different environmental issue or concept. For Challenge #4: Green Up Your School, students had to submit a plan that redesigned their school building incorporating biophilic design principles, which aim to connect humans with the natural world.

The judges for Challenge #4 found that the best entries had these qualities:

  • Biophilia was clearly understood and defined.
  • The judges could imagine themselves experiencing and enjoying elements of nature within the buildings.
  • Students paid careful attention to their buildings, and offered both current and proposed design layouts.
  • The benefits to occupants of the designs were clearly understood and explained.
  • Nature was not only present, but occupants would have the ability to interact with the various elements.
  • The ideas presented are clearly explained and the students thought through how they would bring these design ideas to their school.

For more information on Shaler Area students’ designs, visit The Fairchild Challenge at Phipps blog.