2014-2015 Education Annual Report

FAIRCHILD TROPICAL BOTANIC GARDEN / EDUCATION DEPARTMENT ANNUAL REPORT 2014-2015 | 1

Amy Padolf, M.Ed., Director of Education | [email protected] | 305.663.8097

EDUCATION DEPARTMENT ANNUAL REPORT

2014-2015


Table of Contents

The Fairchild Challenge Elementary School Program 4 Middle School Program 11 High School Program 17 Partner Program 24

Field Studies Adventure Program 30 Discovery Program 33 Explorer Program 38

Plant Mobile/Homeschool Program 42

Community Outreach, Special Groups, L.E.A.F. and Summer Camp 45

Professional Development 48

BioTech High School 53

Classes at Fairchild 55


f a i r c h i l d t r o p i c a l b o t a n i c g a r d e n f a i r c h i l d t r o p i c a l b o t a n i c g a r d e n

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2014-2015 ANNUAL REPORT


Elementary School Program

This year, The Fairchild Challenge for Elementary Schools saw another year of growth in terms of participation and entries received. More than 66,800 (total attempted) students and 1,750 teachers from 108 registered schools participated in the program this year, for a total of 86,517 incidents of participation and 1,348 submitted entries. Of those 108 registered schools, 27 were first-time participants in the program and 51.8% were Title 1 schools, while another 21.3% were private schools. This year, 45 elementary schools received school garden grants from The Fairchild Challenge, with a total of 53 schools participating in the School Garden challenge.


Elementary School ChallengesElementary School Challenges

Challenges Due Date Maximum number points

Max. number of entries

1 Design: Baynanza For individual students A: Grades Pre-K – 1 (Bookmark) B: Grades 2 – 3 (Poster) C: Grades 4 – 5 (T-shirt)

Wed., Oct. 8 100 (50/entry)100 (50/entry)100 (50/entry)

2 entries 2 entries2 entries

Educator Challenge Wed., Oct. 29 25 bonus points 1 entry

2 Mask: Parade of Plant Partners For individual students or groups A: Grades Pre-K – 1 B: Grades 2 – 3 C: Grades 4 – 5

Wed., Nov. 12 100 (50/entry)100 (50/entry)100 (50/entry)

2 entries2 entries2 entries

Performance Video Wed., Dec. 10 25 bonus points 1 entry

3 Art: Plant Life Cycles For individual students A: Grades Pre-K – 1 B: Grades 2 – 3 C: Grades 4 – 5

Wed., Dec. 10100 (50/entry)100 (50/entry)100 (50/entry)

2 entries2 entries 2 entries

YouthCaN – Fri., Feb. 6 Register by Fri., Jan. 16 50 bonus points 3 groups

4 Writing: Exploration Journals For individual students A: Grades K – 1 (Haiku) B: Grades 2 – 3 (Poem) C: Grades 4 – 5 (Short story)

Wed., Feb. 18 100 (50/entry)100 (50/entry)100 (50/entry)

2 entries2 entries2 entries

5 Environmental Action For groups Wed., Apr. 22 400 1 entry

6 School Garden For groups Wed., May 6 400 1 entry


This year’s program consisted of six challenges for students in grades Pre-K through 5. Each challenge was grade-appropriate and aligned with state and national academic standards. These challenges included:

1. Baynanza – Students were asked to research and create a design and slogan to celebrate Baynanza, a series of events hosted by Miami-Dade County to raise awareness about one of South Florida’s most important natural resources. This year, the challenge was expanded to provide an opportunity for students in grades Pre-k to 1 to create a bookmark, grades 2 to 3 to create a poster, and grades 4 to 5 to create a T-shirt design. Winning entries were printed and distributed to Baynanza participants and winning students were recognized by public officials at the Baynanza event at on April 25.

2. Mask: Plant Partners – This year, students were asked to research a plant-animal relationship and create a mask with an emphasis on natural and recycled materials, depicting the ‘plant partner’ with a description of how that plant partner assists in the life cycle of the plant. Depending on their grade level, students had to include the common or scientific name and stage of the plant lifecycle in which they interact. Participating schools were invited to showcase their masks at the Parade of Plant Partners and Performances on Saturday, December 13 at Fairchild.

3. Art: Plant Life Cycles – This year, students were asked to research one plant and create a depiction of the various stages in that plant’s life cycle using colored pencils or crayons. Depending on grade level, students were also asked to label various stages of the life cycle. Artwork was evaluated based on creativity, observation skills, artistry, and relevance to the theme. All artwork was displayed for the public at The Fairchild Challenge Art Show during the International Chocolate Festival.

4. Writing: Adventures of a Seed – For the writing challenge, students continued to work on the theme of plant life cycles and were asked to write a story about the adventures of a seed. Students were prompted to consider the various ways that seeds may be dispersed by wind, water or animals, and then to think about what seeds need to grow once they find a suitable new home. Students in grades K-1 were asked to create a haiku, those in grades 2-3 were asked to write a poem, and students in grades 4-5 were asked to write a short story narrating the adventures of a seed on its journey to grow. Entries could be written in multiple languages, if accompanied by an English translation.

5. Environmental Action – In this challenge, students were asked to undertake group projects that raise environmental awareness and promote conservation in their home, school and community. Students had to work in groups to organize and implement solution-oriented environmental action efforts that took place throughout the school year. Schools were asked to summarize their efforts through photos, text and other evidence of student work in a booklet or in a PowerPoint presentation. Projects were evaluated based on the depth and breadth of student involvement, scope of work, concept and knowledge of relevant issues and possible solutions, clarity and presentation.

6. School Garden – In this challenge, students were asked to establish, expand, or restore a garden at their school and utilize it as a teaching tool across the curriculum. Additionally, the school garden had to utilize environmentally-friendly gardening strategies and include descriptive materials such as signs, maps or brochures to communicate the message of their garden to their community. Schools’ gardening efforts and outcomes were summarized in either a booklet or PowerPoint presentation submitted to Fairchild. Projects were evaluated on the depth and breadth of student involvement, the quality of interpretation materials, as well as how the garden was used as an outdoor classroom.

Summary of Elementary School Challenges


Congratulations to the more than 50,000 students at 98 South Florida elementary schools who actively participated in the 2014-2015 Fairchild Challenge:

THE 2014-2015 FAIRCHILD CHALLENGE PARTICIPATING ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

Air Base K-8 CenterAmelia Earhart ElementaryArch Creek ElementaryArchimedean AcademyAventura City of ExcellenceAvocado ElementaryBeacon College PrepBel-Aire ElementaryBen Sheppard ElementaryBiltmore School, TheBiscayne Elementary Community SchoolBiscayne Gardens ElementaryBob Graham Education CenterBridgePrep Preparatory SchoolCarrollton School of the Sacred HeartCenter for Modern Languages at North DadeCharter Schools at Waterstone, TheChristinaM. Eve ElementaryChristi/Stepss AcademyCoconut Palm K-8 AcademyCoral Reef Montessori AcademyCushman School, TheCutler Ridge ElementaryDante B. Fascell ElementaryDavid Posnack Jewish Day SchoolDr. Carlos J. Finlay ElementaryDr. Edward L. Whigham ElementaryDr. Henry E. Perrine Academy of the ArtsDr. Henry W. Mack/West Little River K-8 CenterEneida M. Hartner ElementaryEthel Koger Beckham ElementaryEugenia B. Thomas K-8 CenterEverglades K-8 CenterFlagami ElementaryFlorida Christian SchoolFrances S. Tucker Environmental Science Magnet SchoolFrank C. Martin International K-8 CenterGateway Environmental K-8 Learning CenterGeorge Washington Carver ElementaryGladeview Christian SchoolGordon School, TheGreenglade ElementaryGrowing Place, TheHenry M. Flagler ElementaryHochberg Preparatory SchoolHoward Drive ElementaryIrving and Beatrice Peskoe K-8 CenterJacobson Sinai AcademyJoella C. Good ElementaryKendall Christian SchoolKensington Park ElementaryKenwood K-8 CenterKey Biscayne K-8 CenterKeys Gate Charter School

La ScuolaLaura C. Saunders ElementaryMaplewood ElementaryMater Academy Mount SinaiMater Grove AcademyMiami Country Day SchoolMiami Gardens ElementaryMiami Shores ElementaryNatural Bridge ElementaryNorma Butler Bossard ElementaryNorthwest Christian AcademyOak Grove ElementaryOliver Hoover ElementaryOvertown Youth CenterPalmetto ElementaryPalm Lakes ElementaryPhyllis Ruth Miller ElementaryPinecrest Academy South CharterPinecrest ElementaryRedland ElementaryRiverside ElementaryRobert Renick Educational CenterRobert Russa Moton ElementaryRoyal Green ElementaryRuth K. Broad Bay Harbor K-8 CenterSanta Fe Advantage AcademySeminole ElementarySilver Bluff ElementarySmart Starts at DadelandSomerset Academy South HomesteadSomerset City Arts ConservatorySouth Dade MiddleSouth Miami Heights ElementarySouth Pointe ElementarySouthside Elementary Museums Magnet SchoolSpanish Lake ElementarySpringview ElementarySt. Kevin Catholic SchoolSt. Lawrence Catholic SchoolSt. Patrick SchoolSt. Rose of Lima SchoolSt. Thomas Episcopal Parish SchoolSt. Thomas the Apostle SchoolSummerville Advantage AcademySunset Park ElementarySylvania Heights ElementaryTheodore R. & Thelma A. Gibson Charter SchoolTwin Lakes ElementaryVineland K-8 CenterWest Homestead K-8 CenterWhispering Pines ElementaryWilliam Jennings Bryan ElementaryYouth Co-Op Preparatory Charter School

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Elementary School Garden Grants

The following schools received up to $250 from The Fairchild Challenge for their school gardening efforts during the 2014-2015 school year:

1. Air Base K-8 Center2. Arch Creek Elementary3. Ben Sheppard Elementary4. Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart5. Coconut Palm K-8 Academy6. Dante B Fascell. Elementary7. David Posnack Jewish Day School8. Dr. Edward L. Whigham Elementary9. Eugenia B. Thomas K-8 Center

10. Flagami Elementary11. Gateway Environmental K-8 Learning Center12. George Washington Carver Elementary13. Gladeview Christian School14. Gordon School, The15. Greenglade Elementary16. Henry M. Flagler Elementary17. Hochberg Preparatory School18. Kendall Christian School19. Key Biscayne K-8 Center20. Key Biscayne Presbyterian Church School21. La Scuola22. Laura S. Saunders Elementary

23. Miami Gardens Elementary24. Natural Bridge Elementary25. Norma Butler Bossard Elementary26. Northwest Christian Academy27. Oliver Hoover Elementary28. Overtown Youth Center29. Palm Lakes Elementary30. Phyllis Ruth Miller Elementary31. Pinecrest Academy South32. Pinecrest Elementary33. Riverside Elementary34. Santa Fe Academy35. Seminole Elementary36. Somerset Academy South Homestead37. Somerset City Arts Conservatory38. South Miami Heights Elementary39. South Pointe Elementary40. Southside Elementary Museums Magnet School41. St. Rose of Lima School42. St. Thomas Episcopal Parish School43. Sylvania Heights Elementary44. Twin Lakes Elementary45. Whispering Pines Elementary


Art WorkshopsTwo free art workshops for students participating in Challenge 3: Art - Plant Life Cycles were hosted at Fairchild. During the workshops groups of students were paired up with local artist that volunteer as art mentors. The objective of the event is to help students find inspiration to start their art challenge entry, encourage them to observe and be detail oriented, and learn from their art mentor. To facilitate access to the workshop, buses were provided free of charge to Title 1 schools, and we offered two dates. This year more than 300 students and 24 art mentors participated in the art workshops.

Art ShowWith the objective of sharing the program with the community and celebrating the participating students, The Fairchild Challenge Art Show was hosted and opened to the public during the International Chocolate Festival. During the show, 294 elementary art entries were showcased. Approximately 200 students, teachers, parents and community members attended the free event.

YouthCaNFor the fifth year, Fairchild hosted the YouthCaN Miami Conference. YouthCaN is a national youth-run organization that unites environmentally active youth from all over the world to exchange ideas about the environment and empower others to make a difference in their own communities. Approximately 150 students and teachers gathered to discuss global issues concerning the environment. YouthCaN brought together 8 local schools for a day of student presentations on various environmental topics ranging from All about Erosion to Caterpillar Conservation to Rags to Bags and more! At the end of this inspirational day, all students left with a greater understanding of their individual power to make a difference. Participating schools received 50 bonus points for their participation.

Parade and PerformancesFor the first time ever, in response to teachers’ requests, students had the opportunity to submit a performance video of a song, skit or dance that conveyed an environmental message. Both entries were presented as special opportunities for which schools would obtain 25 bonus points. A total of 32 schools submitted performance videos that were created and edited by students; participating schools received 25 bonus points.

Special Events and Opportunities


Elementary School Program Teacher Feedback

I think the Challenge is a wonderful curriculum that not only helps the teacher but the students to become more environmentally aware of current issues in our community.

I enjoy it the way it is! Each year it gets tweaked accordingly and that works out well.

I THINK IT IS A GREAT PROGRAM THAT IS PLANNED OUT JUST RIGHT

I love being a part of this program, I am appreciative with all that you do for us and our students. I know as teachers we can be a handful. Keep up the amazing work. Thank you!!!!!

I think it is a wonderfully run program. The support and information we get from the Fairchild Challenge Staff has been amazing!!!

The most valuable outcome of participating in The Fairchild Challenge for students was….

Kids got engaged in gardening and that added motivation to the overall activity in school

Many students here live in apartments. Everything in the FC is NEW to them - holding a hose, picking seeds, examining plants etc.

Applying their learning to real-world issues and their community.

The most valuable outcome of participating in The Fairchild Challenge for TEACHERS was…

Validating conservation and preservation as important student qualities to be taught.

Number of teacher respondents = 142 elementary school teachers from 142 schoolsSurvey questions agree not sure disagree

My students knowledge about the environment has increased 100% 0.0 % 0.0 %My students are more aware of environmental challenges/issues 98.6 % 1.4 % 0.0 %I have seen an increase in students’ environmentally-friendly behaviors 93.1 % 6.9 % 0.0 %My students show more interest in the environment 97.2 % 2.8 % 0.0 % My knowledge of the environment and environmental issues has increased 94.4 % 4.2 % 1.4 %

I intend to participate again in The Fairchild Challenge Yes = 98.6 % No = 1.4%I intend to recommend that other teachers/schools participate in The Fairchild Challenge Yes = 100 % No = 0.0 %

Table 5: End-of-year Surveys (elementary school teachers)


During the 2014-2015 program year, The Fairchild Challenge for middle schools successfully engaged close to 20,000 students and over 250 teachers. All schools were encouraged to participate in the nine competitions that were available. This year 86 middle schools registered, 71% actively participated in one or more of the challenges offered, 45% were Title 1 schools, while another 24% were private schools. Nearly 350 students attended four workshops at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden to help facilitate their participation in various competitions throughout the year. Additionally, 19 middle schools were awarded garden grants of up to $250 to create, maintain or expand their school gardens/habitat restorations projects.

Middle School Program


Summary of Middle School Challenges

This year’s program consisted of nine challenges for students in grades 6 through 8. Each challenge was grade-appropriate and aligned with the State Standards. These challenges included:

1 Inventory & Data Collection: Backyard Biodiversity – As with all corners of South Florida, your schoolyard teems with life. Insects crawl, flowers bloom, birds fly and grasses grow. Students conducted a BioBlitz, which is a fast paced biological inventory of all species occurring in an area at one given time, in their schoolyard to look closely at the biodiversity that surrounds them. They then wrote and performed a spoken word piece that interpreted their BioBlitz findings and described the importance of biodiversity.

2 Inventory & Data Collection: Looking at Life Around Us – Powerful images can effectively convey a message and promote action. Students were asked to create designs for each of the themes below.

A. Fairchild Challenge T-shirt Design: BioBlitz – As part of Challenge 1, students conducted a schoolyard biodiversity survey or “BioBlitz.” To share the findings of that survey, students were asked to create a design, appropriate for a T-shirt, which represented the biodiversity found at their school.

B. Adopt-a-Tree: Flyer Design – Since 2001, Adopt-a-Tree has been working to foster a heightened awareness of the value of trees in Miami-Dade County. Trees and shrubs provide shade and help promote more sustainable living in urban environments. Planting trees and shrubs that are suited for the local climate is an example of a conservation action. Students researched the benefits of planting trees in their schools, homes and neighborhoods and created a new design for the Adopt-A-Tree initiative.

3 Plant Explorers & Science Discoveries: Graphic Novel – Scientists have played a very important role in the discovery of new information and exploration of the natural world. Students chose a scientist or discovery that has changed our understanding of our environment from a list provided. After researching a famous plant explorer or plant science discovery, students created a historical graphic novel that would serve as either a biography of the explorer or a description of the discovery. 4 Observing & Monitoring: Plants and Their Pollinators (Global Challenge) – While some plants are self-pollinated or wind-pollinated, most flowering plants require help from animal pollinators to produce. Over 75% of all plants depend on pollinators for reproduction, making these ecosystem services essential for conserving biodiversity. Students looked for pollinator syndromes in local plants/flowers and created a drawing to depict one plant and pollinator relationship that shows their interaction.

5 Conserving Traditions: Green Treasures – Miami’s rich cultural diversity provides the ideal setting to explore different uses of plants. Students interviewed elders to learn about their experiences with nature, specifically plants, focusing on symbolic meaning of plants in cultural celebrations and events. Students then created a newsletter to present the information and stories they heard through their intergenerational interviews, as a way to conserve cultural traditions.

6 Conservation Strategies: Lizards on the Loose – South Florida’s mild subtropical climate and diverse flora and fauna make it a hotspot for introduced species. The Brown Anole (Anolis sagrei), native to Cuba and the Bahamas is only one of many lizard species introduced to South Florida. The evolutionary process of adapting to a new environment involves many challenges, including the adaptation to new climates and habitats. Students used timed surveys to analyze the lizard population in their school or backyard. This data was used by the University of Rhode Island and Florida International University to help study the evolutionary adaption of introduced lizards to South Florida. Students described their findings from their schoolyard or backyard through a PowerPoint presentation.


7 Action Plan: Gardens and Green Spaces – School gardens and green spaces can help improve the biodiversity of a school’s environment. Students created a video showcasing how their gardens and/or green spaces help in the conservation and biodiversity of South Florida’s unique ecosystems.

8 Human Impact: Green Cuisine’s Supermarket Diversity – Certain foods have been available in South Florida for decades and are considered common in our diets. Over time, diversity of produce available in local grocery stores has increased allowing people a greater choice in what they buy. Students conducted a produce diversity survey in a local grocery store and explained how food selection and variety may have changed over time. Students prepared a vegetarian dish using one common ingredient from a list provided and a “new” ingredient that represents the change in diversity found in local grocery stores. Students presented their culinary creation at Fairchild’s Spring Garden Festival. 9 Conservation Plan: Biodiversity Study – Managing our local ecosystem can safeguard its existence for generations to come. Scientists often create conservation plans to develop a guideline to achieve conservation goals. A conservation plan should include an inventory and observations of resources, historical and personal perspective, conservation strategies, methodology and a complete action plan. Students created a comprehensive plan that assessed maintained and preserved biodiversity in their community. Products of each of the previous challenges assisted in the creation of the school’s conservation plan.


THE 2014-2015 FAIRCHILD CHALLENGE MIDDLE SCHOOL AWARDS

THE FAIRCHILD CHALLENGE AWARDSBy earning more than 800 points, 33 middle schools received The Fairchild Challenge Award

THE FAIRCHILD CHALLENGE HIGHEST HONORSCash prizes for environmental initiatives awarded to the 16 top-scoring middle schools

Gold - $1000 Palmetto

Silver - $500 Carrollton • George Washington Carver • Hialeah Gardens •

Redland • The Biltmore School

Bronze - $250 Coconut Palm K-8 • Glades • Hammocks • John I. Smith K-8 • MAST Academy • Nautilus

Renaissance • Rockway • Ruth K. Broad/Bay Harbor K-8 • St. Kevin Catholic

FAIRCHILD CHALLENGE FIVE YEAR SCHOOLS OF ExCELLENCEBanners are awarded to schools that earn The Fairchild Challenge Award for five consecutive years

2014-2015 InducteesPalmetto • St. Thomas the Apostle

Previous InducteesArvida • Carrollton • Centennial • Coconut Palm K-8 • Devon Aire K-8 • Frank C. Martin K-8

George Washington Carver • Glades • José Martí MAST • Kinloch Park • Mater Academy • Norland Ponce de Leon • Redland • Richmond Heights •Rubén Dario • Shenandoah • South Miami

South Miami K-8 • St. Kevin Catholic • West Miami •Youth Co-Op Preparatory

FAIRCHILD CHALLENGE TEN YEAR SCHOOLS OF ExCELLENCEBanners are awarded to schools that earn The Fairchild Challenge Award for ten consecutive years

2014-2015 InducteesRedland

Previous InducteesGlades • George Washington Carver • South Miami Community

Archimedean Conservatory • Carrollton • Christi/STEPSS Academy • Coconut Palm K-8 Cutler Bay Frank C. Martin K-8 G. W. Carver • Glades • Gulliver • Hammocks • Hialeah Gardens • John I. Smith K-8

José Martí MAST • MAST Academy Mater Academy Charter • Nautilus • North Miami • Palmetto • Paul W. Bell Ponce de Leon • Redland • Renaissance Rockway • Rubén Darío • Ruth K. Broad/Bay Harbor K-8 • South Miami

Young Woman’s Preparatory


THE 2014-2015 FAIRCHILD CHALLENGE PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS

Congratulations to the 61 South Florida middle schools who actively participated in The 2014-2015 Fairchild Challenge:

Archimedean Middle Conservatory • Arvida • Aventura City of Excellence • Aventura Waterways K-8 Belen Jesuit Preparatory • Carrollton • Christi/STEPSS Academy • Coconut Palm K-8 Center

Coral Gables Preparatory Academy • Coral Reef Montessori Academy • Cutler Bay • Doctors Charter Eugenia B. Thomas K-8 • Everglades Preparatory Academy • Frank C. Martin K-8 • George Washington Carver

Glades • Gulliver Academy • Hammocks • Hialeah Gardens • Homestead • Jacobson Sinai Academy John I. Smith K-8 • Jorge Mas Canosa • José Martí MAST • Keys Gate Charter • Lake Stevens

Lamar Louise Curry • Lawton Chiles • MAST Academy • Mater Academy Charter • Mater Academy East Miami Lakes • Miami Springs • Nautilus • Norland • North Miami • Our Lady of Lourdes • Palmetto

Paul W. Bell • Ponce de Leon • Redland • Renaissance Charter • Richmond Heights • Riviera • Rockway Ruben Dario • Ruth K. Broad/Bay Harbor K-8 • South Dade • South Miami Community • Southwood

St. John Neumann Catholic • St. Kevin Catholic • St. Thomas the Apostle • The Biltmore School The Sagemont School • Thomas Jefferson • Vineland K-8 • West Miami • Westminster Christian

Young Woman’s Preparatory

“We, the students and teachers at Lawton Chiles Middle School, have truly enjoyed the planning and harvesting of the vegetable garden. We have taken pride of the butterfly garden as well. Our school has incorporated the gardens as part of the overall school curriculum. The math department has used it to teach ratio and proportion lessons. The science team has created lessons about the water cycle that included a hands-on transpiration lab. The biology teacher has used the cycle of the Monarch butterfly as part of those “teachable moments” for the students’ advantage!” – Ms. Rosa Reyes, Science Teacher, Fairchild Garden LCMS Team

“The Challenges are EXCELLENT and encourage creativity and inspire students to become scientists by collecting data and using the scientific method, by drawing and expressing themselves through art and/or writing, and providing a glimpse of history through interviewing elders in their communities.” – Laura Collins Remmen, Homestead Middle School

“The dynamic of my class have changed since I Started implementing in my classroom activities derived of this professional activity. I would like to say that know my students understand in a better way concepts about nature like biodiversity, extinction, endangered species, conservation, natural resources etc. since I implemented changes related to the way of transfer knowledge to my students, they are now more capable to work with assignments such as research papers, and critical thinking activities. Also, they are now more familiar with current events activities. Al of this because the implementation of what I learned during this activity.” – Efrain Valdivia, Miami Lakes Middle School


Middle School Gardens

Archimedean Middle ConservatoryCutler Bay Middle SchoolEugenia B. Thomas K-8 CenterGlades Middle SchoolHammocks Middle SchoolJohn I. Smith K-8 CenterJorge Mas Canosa Middle SchoolLawton Chiles Middle SchoolNautilus Middle SchoolNorth Miami Middle School

Our Lady of Lourdes Parish SchoolPaul W. Bell Middle SchoolRedland Middle SchoolRiviera Middle SchoolRuben Dario Middle SchoolSouth Dade Middle SchoolSt. Kevin Catholic SchoolThomas Jefferson Middle SchoolWest Miami Middle School

“I wanted to express our sincerest gratitude for again granting us the Garden grant and inviting us to participate in your Educational field trip. Throughout the years, we have been able to add to our Pine Rockland gardens and have many more students involved in nature and conservation thanks to the educational activities you have provided. We have enhanced our environmental program through the opportunities to work with your amazing scientists and the conservation team (Dr. Joyce Maschinski, Devon Powell, Jennifer Posley) & Connect to Protect; the Fairchild Challenge team which is always very helpful and understanding; and most certainly all those other individuals who work behind the scenes and keep education, research and science a priority at Fairchild. As a result of our experience with organizations such as Fairchild, our Eco-Tec Magnet program here at West Miami Middle School has taken the moto of “Conserving and Restoring our Environment one Action at a Time.” Thank you for being a valuable part of allowing us to take those “Actions”. Thank you very much for your continuous support.” – Lisset Perez-Muñoz, NBCT, Science & Eco-Tec Magnet Lead Teacher, West Miami Middle School

“During this school year, my students understood the need for biodiversity and environment conservation, and became more actively engaged citizens. I implemented an educational path which included the research of different topics and the development of critical thinking activities related to environmental awareness and environment conservation; I used the differentiation instruction to include the Fairchild Challenges into the Science Curriculum.” – Maria Arguelles, Miami Lakes Middle School

“Thank you for continuing to have this program--my third year, I believe. This morning, I sat with 3 delightful 6th graders from Youth Coop Charter School--very bright with lots of questions on their part. They hope to return next year!”— Yonna Levine (GREEN TREASURES INTERVIEWEE)


High School Program

During the 2014-2015 program year, The Fairchild Challenge for high schools successfully engaged more than 8,000 students and 300 teachers. In Miami Dade County, 74% of the public high schools registered for the program. All schools were encouraged to participate in the ten available competitions. This year, a total of 76 high schools registered, 80% actively participated in one or more of the challenges offered, 46% were Title 1 schools, while another 20% were private schools. More than 500 students participated in Exploring Environmental Sciences events in order to learn from environmental professionals about environmental career options. In addition, 22 high schools received garden grants of up to $250 to create, maintain or expand their school gardens/habitat restorations.


Summary of High School Challenges

This year‘s program consisted of ten challenges for students in grades 9 through 12. Each challenge was grade appropriate and aligned with Florida’s State Standards. These challenges included:

1 Inventory & Data Collection: Backyard Biodiversity – As with all corners of South Florida, your schoolyard teems with life. Insects crawl, flowers bloom, birds fly and grasses grow. Students conducted a BioBlitz, which is a fast paced biological inventory of all species occurring in an area at one given time, in their schoolyard to look closely at the biodiversity that surrounds them. They then wrote and performed a spoken word piece that interpreted their BioBlitz findings and described the importance of biodiversity.

2 Inventory & Data Collection: Looking at Life Around Us – Powerful images can effectively convey a message and promote action. Students were asked to create designs for each of the themes below.

A. Fairchild Challenge T-shirt Design: BioBlitz – As part of Challenge 1, students conducted a schoolyard biodiversity survey or, “BioBlitz.” To share the findings of that survey, students were asked to create a design, appropriate for a T-shirt, which represented the biodiversity found at their school.

B. Adopt-a-Tree: Flyer Design – Since 2001, Adopt-a-Tree has been working to foster a heightened awareness of the value of trees in Miami-Dade County. Trees and shrubs provide shade and help promote more sustainable living in urban environments. Planting trees and shrubs that are suited for the local climate is an example of a conservation action. Students researched the benefits of planting trees in their schools, homes and neighborhoods and created a new design for the Adopt-A-Tree initiative.

3 Methodology: Exploring Environmental Sciences – Students enhanced practical skills and knowledge while learning about careers in science and the environment. Students worked in small groups alongside environmental experts, scientists and researchers from the community, participating in authentic research at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. Students chose from different topics such as horticulture, plant/animal ecology, biodiversity, or economic botany and rotated through different stations covering the topic.

4 Historical Perspective: Mayoral Speech – South Florida has changed drastically in past decades. Exploring a community’s archives can provide valuable insight into its social and natural history. Students examined their community’s past, and wrote a speech following the prompt provided.

Prompt: Today, you are the mayor, celebrating 100 years of your community’s history. Write an engaging speech detailing your community’s founding, land use, population growth, successive developments and current status. Describe your vision for the next decade. Defend your opinion with critical and creative thinking and sound research.

5 Personal Perspective: Environmental Debates on Biodiversity – The Fairchild Challenge Environmental Debates provide a forum for students to discuss vital environmental issues. Debating allows students to gain confidence and improve their reasoning, public speaking and leadership skills. After researching specific topics related to biodiversity at the local, state and national levels, students debated at the annual Fairchild Challenge Environmental Debates in British Parliamentary format.


6 Observing & Monitoring: Plants and Their Pollinators (Global Challenge) – While some plants are self-pollinated or wind-pollinated, most flowering plants require help from animal pollinators to produce. Over 75% of all plants depend on pollinators for reproduction, making these ecosystem services essential for conserving biodiversity. Students looked for pollinator syndromes in local plants/flowers and created a drawing to depict one plant and pollinator relationship that shows their interaction.

7 Conservation Strategies: Fairchild’s Million Orchid Project – After a century of over collecting, many of our native orchids have been driven to the brink of extinction in the wild. By participating in The Million Orchid Project, Fairchild’s initiative to propagate a million South Florida endangered orchids, students micro-propagated native orchids that will be used in reintroductions. While rearing the plants over a six month period, students experimented with factors that may influence seedling growth and development. Students created a PowerPoint presentation to share their observations and findings.

8 Action Plan: Gardens and Green Spaces – School gardens and green spaces can help improve the biodiversity of a school’s environment. Students created a video showcasing how their gardens and/or green spaces help in the conservation and biodiversity of South Florida’s unique ecosystems.

9 Human Impact: Green Cuisine’s Supermarket Diversity – Certain foods have been available in South Florida for decades and are considered common in our diets. Over time, diversity of produce available in local grocery stores has increased allowing people a greater choice in what they buy. Students conducted a produce diversity survey in a local grocery store and explained how food selection and variety may have changed over time. Students prepared a vegetarian dish using one common ingredient from a list provided and a “new” ingredient that represents the change in diversity found in local grocery stores. Students presented their culinary creation at Fairchild’s Spring Garden Festival.

10 Conservation Plan: Biodiversity Study – Managing our local ecosystem can safeguard its existence for generations to come. Scientists often create conservation plans to develop a guideline to achieve conservation goals. A conservation plan should include an inventory and observations of resources, historical and personal perspective, conservation strategies, methodology and a complete action plan. Students created a comprehensive plan that assessed maintained and preserved biodiversity in their community. Products of each of the previous challenges assisted in the creation of the school’s conservation plan.

“I wanted to thank you again for the opportunity given to us to participate in this year’s challenges...! Our students loved it, and we will be back next year for sure!!!!!!” - Patricia Sacasa, M.S.Ed., Felix Varela Sr. High

“We are delighted to display the Challenge artwork at the Westminster Art Fair. It is a pleasure to promote the Fairchild Challenge. The school has been involved in the art section since the inception of the Challenge. We are proud to be a part of this wonderful program.” – Donna Underwood, Art Teacher, Westminster Christian


LEWIS VAUGHN MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIPThrough a generous donation from the Vaughn Jordon Foundation, Fairchild offered two $5,000 scholar-ships to support Fairchild Challenge high school students who will attend Florida International University or University of Miami and study biology, ecology or environmental sciences.

FAIRCHILD HIGH SCHOOL SUMMER INTERNSHIPFor the second year, The Fairchild Challenge offered a paid 6-week summer internship at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden to highly motivated high school students interested in plant biology, ecology and molecular evolution. From various applicants the following students were selected:

Vanessa Hilaire – William H. Turner TechFrank Lopez – Everglades Preparatory AcademyNatalie Lopez – Biotech @ Richmond Heights 9-12Carolina Valdes – Biotech @ Richmond Heights 9-12Edson Zarate – Biotech @ Richmond Heights 9-12Sarah Marrero – Biotech @ Richmond Heights 9-12Stephen Lu – Miami Palmetto Senior High

Ana Lam – Coral Reef Senior HighNicholas Petrakis – Archimedean Upper ConservatorySamantha Ferguson – Felix Varela Senior HighJasmin Almonte – School for Advanced StudiesCatherine Martinez – MAST AcademyKelsey Peeples – Miami Killian Senior HighEbony Taylor – South Plantation High


THE 2014-2015 FAIRCHILD CHALLENGE HIGH SCHOOL AWARDS

Gold – $1,000 Miami Palmetto

2014-2015 InducteesChristopher Columbus

Bronze – $250 Christi/STEPSS Academy • Doctor’s Charter • G. Holmes Braddock

John A. Ferguson • José Martí MAST • Miami Country Day Miami Norland Palmer Trinity • Robert Morgan

Silver – $500 Barbara Goleman • Christopher Columbus • Hialeah-Miami Lakes

Miami Killian • South Plantation

THE FAIRCHILD CHALLENGE AWARDSBy earning more than 1,000 points, 20 high schools received The Fairchild Challenge Award

Archbishop Coleman F. Carroll • Barbara Goleman • Christi/STEPSS Academy • Christopher Columbus Coral Reef • G. Holmes Braddock • Hialeah-Miami Lakes • John A. Ferguson • José Martí MAST Mater Academy Charter • MAST Academy • Miami Beach • Miami Country Day • Miami Killian

Miami Norland • Miami Palmetto • Miami Southridge • Palmer Trinity • Robert Morgan • South Plantation

THE FAIRCHILD CHALLENGE HIGHEST HONORSCash prizes for environmental initiatives awarded to the 16 top-scoring high schools

THE FAIRCHILD CHALLENGE FIVE YEAR SCHOOLS OF ExCELLENCEBanners are awarded to schools that earn the Fairchild Challenge Award for five consecutive years

THE FAIRCHILD CHALLENGE TEN YEAR SCHOOLS OF ExCELLENCEBanners are awarded to schools that earn the Fairchild Challenge Award for ten consecutive years

Previous InducteesCoral Reef • G. Holmes Braddock • Hialeah-Miami Lakes • Miami Killian • Miami Palmetto

LEWIS VAUGHN MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP 2014-2015 Winners

Daniel Viciana, Robert Morgan Educational Center Meaghan Senzig, Robert Morgan Educational Center

Previous InducteesArchbishop Coleman F. Carroll • Carrollton • Christopher Columbus • Coral Reef

G. Holmes Braddock • Gulliver Preparatory • Hialeah-Miami Lakes • John A. FergusonMAST Academy • Mater Academy Charter • Miami Central • Miami Killian • Miami SeniorMiami Springs • Miami Southridge • Miami Palmetto • Our Lady of Lourdes • South Miami

South Plantation • Miami Jackson


THE 2014-2015 FAIRCHILD CHALLENGE PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS

Congratulations to the 61 South Florida high schools who actively participated in The 2014-2015 Fairchild Challenge:

Allison Academy • Alonzo & Tracy Mourning American • Archbishop Coleman F. CarrollArchimedean Upper Conservatory • Barbara Goleman • Belen Jesuit Preparatory • Carrollton

Christi/STEPSS Academy • Christopher Columbus • Coral Reef • Cutler Bay • Doctor’s Charter Dorothy M. Wallace COPE • Everglades Preparatory Academy • Felix Varela • G. Holmes Braddock

Hialeah Gardens • Hialeah-Miami Lakes Hollywood Christian Academy • HomesteadInternational Studies Preparatory Academy • iPreparatory Academy • John A. Ferguson • José Martí MAST

MAST @ FIU • MAST Academy • Mater Academy Charter • Mater Academy East Charter • Mavericks NorthMiami Beach • Miami Carol City • Miami Central • Miami Country Day • Miami Edison • Miami Jackson

Miami Killian • Miami MacArthur South • Miami Norland • Miami Northwestern • Miami PalmettoMiami Southridge • Miami Springs • North Miami Beach • Our Lady of Lourdes Academy • Palm Glades

Palmer Trinity • Robert Morgan Ed. Center • Robert Renick Ed. Center • Ronald Reagan/DoralRuth Owens Kruse Ed. Center • South Dade • South Miami • South Plantation

Sports Leadership & Management (SLAM) • St. Brendan • TERRA Environmental Research InstituteWestland Hialeah • Westminster Christian • William H. Turner Technical • Young Women’s Preparatory

“Thanks again for inviting us to participate. The event appeared to go very well and the students seemed like they were having a good time. That being said, is it possible to get feedback from the surveys? It would be nice to know what the students liked/disliked, especially if their comments were focused on specific activities. This will help us as mentors make improvements to our activities and get a better idea of where students’ interest lie. Thanks again for the awesome opportunity.”- Justin Cummings, Ph. D., EES Mentor


High School Gardens

American Senior HighBarbara Goleman Senior HighChristi/STEPSS AcademyDoctors Charter SchoolDorothy M. Wallace COPE CenterHialeah Gardens Senior HighHollywood Christian SchoolHomestead Senior HighInternational Studies Preparatory AcademyJosé Martí MAST 6-12 AcademyMAST AcademyMater Academy Middle/High CharterMiami

Tropical Biodiversity and ExplorationGrowing, Propagating, and ConservingEnvironmental Professionals

Functional EcologyPlant/Animal EcologyBiological Imagery

Miami Central Senior HighMiami Edison Senior HighMiami Killian Senior HighMiami Norland Senior HighMiami Palmetto Senior HighMiami Southridge Senior HighMiami Springs Senior HighRobert Morgan Educational CenterRobert Rennick Educational CenterRonald Reagan Doral Senior HighRuth Owens Krusé Ed. Center – JRE LeeSouth Miami Senior High

Environmental Immersion Day Topics


Partner Program

The Fairchild Challenge Partner program is composed of a group of informal educators in national and international sites that have made a commitment to developing an environmental awareness in students science literacy. The success of the program can be seen by the eagerness with which institutions have embraced the program and demonstrates its relevance in a diverse array of settings.

During the 2014-2015 program year, 10 Fairchild Challenge Partner programs successfully engaged over 28,000 students and teachers at 398 schools. Active Partner programs served regions as close as central Florida, and throughout the U.S. in Tennessee, Pennsylvania and Utah, to regions beyond our nation’s borders, as far away as Mexico and Peru.

“We have some schools as the Dos de Mayo School that looks forward with lots of excitement for this project. Their art teachers and students are highly motivated and they dedicate part of their time in class for or it. They have adopted it as part of their class work and they get grades for it as well.” – Carmen Chavez, Director of Peru Programs for ACEER

“I can’t thank you enough for bringing the Fairchild Challenge to the Keys. It is fantastic to have a venue and template to implement the standards in environmental projects the children can internalize. The kids love the competition and the projects unite the community and help us to strive to do better. You are the seed, the drop, the energy that is reverberating through our students. Can you feel the higher vibrations resonating? Thank you! Bravo! You guys rock!” – Teacher, Key Largo, Florida


Summary of Partner Challenges

ACEER Foundation (PERU)This was the third year of The Fairchild Challenge at The Amazon Center for Environmental Education and Research. The ACEER Foundation in Peru finished their third year with ethnobotanical art entries “Butterflies in My Region” painted by 6-11th grade students. Over 160 students and over 20 teachers from 14 schools participated in ACEER’s 2013-2014 Fairchild Challenge program.

The Local Department of Education (Dirección Regional de Educación – DRE) approved the work that ACEER does in the region of Madre de Dios, City of Puerto Maldonado. ACEER coordinators visited schools, talking to school directors and teachers, providing them the detailed information and posting visual flyers, as well as talking to students in their classroom.

Bok Tower Gardens (Lake Wales, Florida, U.S.)In its fourth year, The Fairchild Challenge at Bok Tower Gardens (BTG) engaged elementary and middle students from local schools in six challenges. This program year, 5 schools participated and 100 students, parents and teachers attended the Awards Ceremony. Certificates were given to all participants and prize money was given to first and second place elementary and middle schools.

The challenges offered to participating schools were researching nature-based symbols and create a written report or 3-D ornament, writing about an environmentalist of their choice, creating their own environmental fable, participating in the global challenge, finding out their carbon footprint and creating a plan to reduce it, participating in an environmental clean-up, and starting or maintaining a school garden.http://boktowergardens.org/plan-your-visit/education/fairchild-challenge

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden (Miami, Florida, U.S.)This year’s Fairchild Challenge focused on Biodiversity. The challenges allowed students and teachers to better explore conservation through the Garden’s collections and expertise. Collaboration with local universities has integrated more authentic Biological Science into this program year.

This year more than 125,000 students and teachers from 272 schools participated in the program locally. Students engaged in Citizen Science projects, debates on local, national and international conservation issues, celebrating the achievements of David Fairchild and the continuing mission of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and creating school conservation plans.

Additionally, we were honored to receive funding again from the Vaughn-Jordan Foundation to establish the Lewis Vaughn Memorial Scholarship program. The scholarships were awarded to two outstanding students from under-resourced communities who show promise in biological and environmental sciences. This year also saw the growth of our summer internship program. This internship provided students with a unique opportunity to work with scientists at Fairchild. Interns gained research experience working in a molecular (DNA) laboratory, read and discuss seminal and current scientific literature, and learned about the living and natural history collections maintained by Fairchildhttp://www.fairchildgarden.org/Education/The-Fairchild-Challenge

“The Fairchild Challenge changed my perspective on technology and nature. I learned that technology unplugs us from those around us, and that unplugging our devices can connect us with a world we never knew was there.” – Student participant, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania,

The Botanic Gardens at Kona Kai Resort (Key Largo, Florida, U.S.)In its third year, The Fairchild Challenge at the Botanic Gardens at Kona Kai Resort invited elementary


and middle school students from the Florida Keys to participate. There were 6 elementary schools, along with 4 middle schools and 1 high school. A total of 1109 students and 62 teachers participate in this year’s program.

Challenges offered to elementary schools included. Designing their own Florida Keys environmental event bookmark, poster and t-shirt design. Other challenges include creating masks depicting plant partners, artwork showing a plant’s life cycle, writing about adventures of a seed, implementing environmental initiatives and continuing to maintain school gardens. Middle school students participated in various challenges as well, including performances focusing on “Backyard Biodiversity”, designs showcasing nature around them, creating graphic novels on plant explorers and science discoveries, creating artwork for the global challenge “Plants and Their Pollinators”, designing newsletters, creating dishes to show the changing diversity of produce, and participating in citizen science projects observing native and non-native lizards.http://www.kkbg.org/

The Dawes Arboretum (Newark, Ohio, U.S.)This was the second year of The Fairchild Challenge at The Dawes Arboretum. This year, 10 schools participated in the program and over 1100 students. The 2014-2015 Fairchild Challenge saw the expansion of the program for middle schools and high schools thanks to a grant awarded from the Boeing Corporation.

There were 3 challenges offered to students. This year the challenges offered for participating schools included creating drawings for the global challenge theme “Plants and Their Pollinators”, writing a reflective essay on nature around their neighborhood (for high schools), creating a book of haiku poems (for middle schools), and creating public service announcements to inform their peers about making one change in their daily lives that would help create a healthier planet.https://dawesarb.org/

“The students were thrilled and really appreciated the opportunity to participate in such a wonderful experience. We are grateful that you are sponsoring this educational endeavor for the students that challenged them to make a difference in their community as well as to think in terms of changes for the future.” – Dr. Darla Gerlach, Shaler Area Middle School, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania,

Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens (Columbus, Ohio, U.S.)This was the first year of The Fairchild Challenge at Franklin Park. This year, 3 local schools participated in The 2014-2015 Fairchild Challenge pilot program for high schools. The program hopes to engage more neighboring schools and provide a teacher Open House in the fall.

There were 3 challenges offered to students. This year the challenges offered for participating schools included the global challenge “Plants and Their Pollinators”, writing about the issue of food security and how it has impacted their community, and creating a concept that identified and developed a garden that enriched their neighborhood based upon the needs of their community.http://www.fpconservatory.org/

Instituto de Ecología, A.C. (MExICO)This was the fourth year of The Fairchild Challenge at Instituto de Ecología (IA). This year 284 schools participated (52 of which are schools for children with special needs) in IA’s 2014-2015 Fairchild Challenge program for K-12 schools. The program was able to reach 16480 students and more than 500 teachers just this school year.

There were 14 challenges offered to students in the Veracuz area of Mexico. Some of the challenges offered for participating schools included; butterflies and pollinators, ethnobotany, water quality, and plant diversity. Teachers were given the opportunity to attend courses at the garden in order to help their students compete in the challenges offered. In total 65 workshops were conducted for teachers and students.http://www.inecol.edu.mx/inecol/index.php/es/


Knoxville Zoo (Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S.) This was the third year of The Fairchild Challenge at Knoxville Zoological Gardens. Knoxville Zoo targeted high school students from their area and involved over 50 students in 2 schools.

Challenges offered to participating schools included examining native species of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and creating artwork displaying their native habitat with either the food it eats or a predator that eats it, as well as creating a mask of the species. Other challenges included creating a public service announcement or documentary film highlighting an environmental issue, participating in a citizen science project with Inaturalist.org, Project Noah, or the National Phenology Network, creating an exhibit design for North American River Otters or the Andean Condor, and writing an opinion paper researching various ways to protect tigers from poaching.http://www.knoxville-zoo.org/fun_learning/fairchild_challenge.aspx

OpEPA (COLOMBIA)This was the first year of The Fairchild Challenge at OpEPA. This year, 3 local schools participated in The 2014-2015 Fairchild Challenge pilot program for high schools. The program hopes to engage more neighboring schools and provide a teacher Open House in the fall.

There were 3 challenges offered to students. Challenges offered for participating schools included the global challenge “Plants and Their Pollinators”, creating stories about the Amazon and its rivers, and creating a play about the importance of the Amazon creating costumes and scenery that elaborated their presentation.

Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.) This was the sixth year of The Fairchild Challenge at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens (PCBG). There were 3,700 students and approximately 70 teachers from 46 schools (3 of which are a Title I / under-resourced school) involved in PCBG’s 2014-2015 Fairchild Challenge program for middle school and high schools.

Challenges offered this year for middle schools included essays about “unplugging” from technology, as well as creating poems to promote students to go outside, taking photographs of people and produce, participating in the global challenge “Plants and Their Pollinators”, creating mini-musicals about becoming eco-scientists, and implementing environmental initiatives. High schools also participated in similar challenges as middle schools, but also were asked to create multimedia presentations with the theme “sustainable Pittsburgh”.

One of the biggest successes this year was in the recruitment of judges for the panels. More than half of the local environmental organizations in Pittsburgh have been involved in judging entries this year. Also, the Eco-Scientist mini-musicals judging panel consisted of a working, produced playwright, the executive director of Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Park, and the director of the theater at the Carnegie Science Center. This illustrates the fact that The Fairchild Challenge is so impressive that busy professionals, from university professors to artists and filmmakers, make time to support it. http://phipps.conservatory.org/classes-and-programs/middle-and-high-school/Fairchild-Challenge.aspx Fairchild Challenge blog: http://fairchildchallengeatphipps.wordpress.com/

Thanksgiving Point (Lehi, Utah, U.S.)This was the seventh year of The Fairchild Challenge at Thanksgiving Point (TP). This year approximately 4,250 students and 42 teachers from 17 schools (3 of which are Title I / under-resourced school) participated in TP’s 2013-2014 Fairchild Challenge program for middle and high schools.

Challenges offered this year for students included hosting a Green Careers Day where teachers and students come to meet special guest presenters in the area of Environmental Education participating in Green Career activities, joining the National Program of Tulips Journey North participating in Citizen Science activities. Other challenges included a t-shirt design competition with the theme “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food”, performances showing the biodiversity that surrounds them, recycled fashion accessories, cooking


with local foods, games to play, public service announcements on Utah’s air quality, designing a game (video, card, board, game show, etc.) that raises awareness on alternative energies or biofuels, finding or creating alternative uses for common or broken objects, and using photography, to showcase Utah’s native trees.http://www.thanksgivingpoint.org/classesandprograms/fairchildchallenge

“Thanks you so much for giving us the chance to brighten the environment with our art! Alexie and I had a great time bonding with our videos and we were very happy to participate!” – High school student participant, The Dawes Arboretum, Ohio


The Fairchild Challenge was able to provide a new partner training this year for the Garden Education Center located in Greenwich, Connecticut. Our new partner will begin a pilot program this summer with elementary school students with a concentration on conservation and plants. Starting the 2015-2016 school year our new partner will begin another pilot program targeting middle and high schools in their local area.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) extended its support of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden through the 21st Century Museum Professional Grant. With the funding, Fairchild is expanding the successful Fairchild Challenge (FC) and providing support for current partner sites. This allowed Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden to host a three-day summit for national and international partners who have implemented The Fairchild Challenge at their institution. Seventeen representatives from botanical gardens and environmental organizations joined to discuss joined activities and improvements. The workshop was mainly funded by the grant received from the Institute for Museums and Libraries Services to implement The Fairchild Challenge as an environmental outreach program. “Our ceremony was held on Saturday, May 16 from 3:00-4:30 pm, with many guests arriving before 2 pm. We had nearly 100 in attendance, with parents and school staff showing wonderful support for the students. Everyone took advantage of enjoying the Gardens before and after the ceremony. After the awards were given, we held an ice cream social to everyone’s delight!” – Clare Thorn, Education Coordinator, Bok Tower Gardens, Florida

“We are always trying to find ways to incorporate the arts into our general curriculum, so this was easy for us (to incorporate The Fairchild Challenge program activities). I feel that if we have the project constraints before the fall, the teachers will be able to design entire units of instruction around the challenge.“ – Jocelyn Cosgrave, Reynoldsburg High School, Encore Academy teacher, Columbus, Ohio

“This has the potential to be a stepping-stone for larger projects—such as capstone at our school. We plan to participate again next year and incorporate a service-learning component; where students advocate, educate or provide direct service to others after their participation.” – Jane Hunt, Upper Arlington High School teacher, Columbus, Ohio

The Fairchld Challenge Partner Workshops




Adventure Program: Self-Guided Visits

The Adventure program includes the educational self-guided visits to the Garden. Self-guided visits include school groups, scout groups and other community groups coming to Fairchild for an educational experience. The materials support educators coming to the Garden in feeling more prepared and enhancing their learning experience. These programs not only include program and activity descriptions, but also contain preparations and overview of the program logistics. When signing-up for these programs, self-guided groups check-out a backpack that includes: introductions, activity descriptions, all the visual materials and supplies needed to facilitate the Adventure programs.

Groups can use program materials specifically designed for self-guided groups with topics such as: Biodiversity, Ethnobotany, Citizen Science, Garden Explorations, Ecological Corridors, Plant Kingdom, South Florida Ecosystems, Wonderful World of Butterflies and Art in the Garden. Adventure groups also have the option of scheduling a self-guided visit of their choice in order to supplement their own curriculum.

Please find a more detailed description below:

Art in the Garden – Self-guided groups have the option of using the annual art exhibit(s) each year to teach drawing, photography, art history, theory and more. Groups choosing this option are provided with booklets containing detailed information about the artist and each piece of artwork.

Biodiversity – Students learn about species richness as they utilize the same methods that scientists use to measure biodiversity in local ecosystems.

Butterflies and Pollination – Students learn about the butterfly lifecycle, anatomy and behavior. They also learn to identify difference between moths and butterflies. Students observe native and exotic butterflies in our various exhibits where they use the ecological concepts they learned to inform their observations.

Citizen Science: Butterfly – Plant Interactions- Students learn about butterfly-plant interactions and citizen science, its importance and how to contribute by being a citizen scientist. The hands-on activities found in this packet will immerse your students in the world biological data collection in the field

Ethnobotany – Students investigate how plants have shaped cultures across continents and centuries as they explore the Garden. Using a map to locate plants of interest, student can learn about the multitude of ways that humans depend on plants, historically and currently, for food, fiber, shelter, medicine and recreation.

Garden Explorations – Students become nature explorers as they travel around the Garden visiting different habitats. They learn about different plant and animal species in these habitats and what makes them unique.

Ecological Corridors – Students will examine some of the challenges that birds and butterflies might encounter while looking for a sustainable habitat, while reflecting on what humans can do to make their journey easier.

Plant Kingdom – In this module, students explore various plant groups, learning how and why plants are classified as they are. Teachers are able to reinforce botanical concepts learned from the textbook with living examples, as students observe a variety of plant forms, functions and adaptations.

South Florida Ecosystems – Students explore some of South Florida’s unique ecosystems with activities that guide them through the unique tapestry of life that exists in our backyard.


Attendance

The Adventure self-guided program has a maximum capacity of 60 students per day. These programs were offered from October 2014 through May 2015. Students who participated in the programs reflected the ethnic and socio-economic diversity of Miami-Dade County. During this school year, we had 1,301 students and 300 teachers and chaperones participate in the self-guided Adventure Program.

Feedback from Teachers

• 100% of the teachers that participated in the self-guided Adventure program felt the program increased their student’s appreciation of our local environment.

• 100% of teachers felt the program was easy to understand and implement.




Program Introduction and Goals

The Discovery program at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden (FTBG) offers a selection of guided multi-disciplinary field studies designed for students in grades 6-12 to enhance science and environmental education. By exploring science, art and technology, students take a trip to “botany and beyond”. The program provides hands-on experiential learning where students are able to connect environmental issues and topics to their lives to reveal their significance. The menu of activities includes using GPS units, maps and compasses to navigate the Garden; identifying butterflies and their host plants; discovering the diversity of the plant kingdom; exploring the Garden and a variety of environmental topics described more in detail in this report. The program is grade-appropriate, and designed to meet state academic standards and assist in the preparation of students for the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT).

Program Objectives:• Develop observational and critical thinking skills• Foster an appreciation for nature• Raise awareness of contemporary, environmental issues • Engage and encourage students to take actions that support and enhance conservation,

sustainability and well-being• Create inclusive multi-disciplinary educational programs that integrate all learning styles equally

to engage and inspire students of various ages and abilities

Program Content

The Discovery program is a guided curriculum that includes three modules, each of which is offered on a separate day: “Biomimicry: Designed by Nature” on Tuesdays, “Symbiosis: Butterflies and Plants” on Wednesdays, and “Biodiversity: Creating Healthy Ecosystems” on Fridays. All guided programs are comprised of three science-based activity stations that students rotate through. Equipped with GPS units, compasses and maps to navigate around the Garden, students learn navigation, science, team building and interpersonal skills. This provides students with the opportunity to take leadership roles as they collaborate and work together to find the activity stations.

Below is a detailed description of each of the guided modules and their objectives:

1. Symbiosis: Butterflies and PlantsThis program is comprised of three activity stations representing each life stage of the butterfly: the egg, the chrysalis and the butterfly. Students explore the butterfly life cycle, the difference between nectar and host plants, and the symbiotic relationship of plants and butterflies. Students observe and look for butterfly eggs, a variety of butterflies and identify some of their adaptations and behaviors. They also learn about the conservation success story of the Atala butterfly and the habitat components butterflies need to live. Biomimicry – Designed by NatureStudents learn about this relatively new science that studies nature - its models, systems, processes and elements - to imitate or take creative inspiration to solve contemporary human problems. This module uses two ecosystems, the tropical rainforest and the desert, as case studies of how humans can learn from nature to solve contemporary issues more efficiently. At the last station, students examine natural objects to uncover which inventions were created from these objects.

2. Biodiversity: Creating Healthy EcosystemsStudents learn about species richness as they discover various ways in which living beings contribute to the health of ecosystems. Using the same methods that scientists use to measure biodiversity, students take an up-close look at some of the living and non-living features of local ecosystems. Students use critical-thinking skills to investigate species loss and brainstorm sustainable solutions. This program is


comprised of three activity stations, two of them representing a different method to measure biodiversity: plot sampling and butterfly-plant interaction counts. The last station deals with the connection between biodiversity and sustainability.

Thanks to a generous donation by the Kennedy Foundation, we implemented the second year of our citizen science program for the Discovery Biodiversity program. This citizen science project is looking to understand:

• Are there any differences or similitudes in butterfly behavior by butterfly type?• Is there any correlation between nectar plant preference and butterfly type?

SustainabilityStudents use simulation-based activities to examine the impact of disease in a monoculture compared to a diverse ecosystem. With the findings from their simulation, they investigate the connection between species composition, resilience and biodiversity. Then, students explore the impact of habitat destruction on biodiversity. Finally, students search for creative and sustainable solutions to reduce habitat destruction, maximize conservation efforts and increase biodiversity.

Pre- and Post-Visit MaterialsPrior to their visit, teachers are sent a comprehensive packet of pre- and post-visit activities designed to meet state academic standards. Each packet is program and grade-specific. These activities prepare students for their exploration of the Garden and create a learning environment conducive for processing, reflecting and integrating their learning experience at the Garden.

Program Materials, Supplies, and Innovative ApproachVisiting groups are divided into three smaller groups and equipped with three types of navigational tools: GPS units, maps, and compasses. Following a brief overview and orientation, groups are sent off to find their way to activity stations, which are marked as waypoints in the GPS units. Incorporating the use of this technology into the flow of the Discovery program appeals to young people and their interest in cutting-edge technology and electronic gadgets. Students gain technological and navigational skills while having fun finding their way around the Garden. Students have the opportunity to develop and strengthen leadership, collaboration and team building skills as they navigate and guide their group to the different Discovery activity stations.

Cultural PassportThis year, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden partnered again with the Foundation for New Education Initiatives, Inc. to participate in the Cultural Passport Program. This program bridges cultural institutions and schools. This partnership allows students from different schools in Miami-Dade County to experience science through hands-on activities in any of our Discovery programs. All costs associated with the program, as well as transportation were covered by Foundation for New Education Initiatives, Inc.

AttendanceThe Discovery guided program has a maximum capacity of 60 students per day. These programs were offered from October 2014 through May 2015. Students who participated in the programs reflected the ethnic and socio-economic diversity of Miami-Dade County.

• 1, 399 students and teachers and chaperones participated in the Discovery guided program. • Groups from different 31schools attended the Discovery program for a total of 40 visits.• 30 of visiting schools to the Discovery program received Title 1 funding.


Program Evaluation

Design and StrategyThe Discovery program evaluation was created to effectively measure the success of the program curriculum and approach. Evaluation instruments included:

• Teacher Questionnaire: We created electronic evaluations through Survey Monkey. We reduced the amount of paper used to distribute evaluations and the number of evaluations we received drastically increased. Electronic evaluations were a huge success. Teachers filled out activity and program related questions. This questionnaire matches questions in three categories: pre-visit activities, field study activities at Fairchild and post-visit activities. Additional questions sought feedback on the educational materials, the staff and volunteer guides, and the map, compass and GPS tools provided to groups.

• On-going Wrap-up Sessions: The volunteer guides and the Discovery Coordinator held multiple wrap-up sessions to gather feedback, identify successes, offer suggestions for improvement, and to provide high-quality programming.

• On-going observation and informal feedback from teachers and volunteers.• Testimonial letters from students and teachers.• End of the year wrap-up with volunteers: In May 2015 we collected an electronic survey

and initiated focus group discussions among program volunteers reflecting on their volunteer experience as well as program strengths and areas for improvement.

Evaluation Results The predominantly positive responses from teachers and chaperones found in the program evaluation reveal that the program is effective, engaging, and relevant to both students and teachers. For some students, their trip to the Garden was a once-in-a-lifetime exposure to the natural world, which they might not otherwise have a chance to experience.

Overall Feedback A total of 28 teachers completed surveys for the Guided Discovery program. An overwhelming majority found the activities to be very good or excellent.

• 100% said that the “volunteer guides engaged the students.”• 100% said they would “recommend this program to another teacher”. • 100% found that the activities were “interactive, engaging, and interesting”. • 95% “anticipate participating in the Discovery program in the future”.

Moving Forward: Suggestions for Future ProgrammingUsing the feedback from the volunteer guides and the participants, we will make adjustments to the program including curriculum modification, additional visual displays, revised worksheets, updated educational activities and continued training.

With the tremendous growth of this program, we have found that the number of groups of students with special needs has continued to increase. Staff and volunteers continue to become more comfortable and effective at adjusting the program for students with different abilities. To ensure the continued success of the program for all ability levels, we will continue to include training in these areas, as well as other relevant topics such as botanical information of the Garden, environmental topics and teaching strategies. In addition, we plan to offer professional development opportunities for staff and volunteers to continue to hone on their skills as educators.

This year, we observed a consistent population of Atala butterflies which enhanced our Symbiosis program. We also integrated the Wings of the Tropics exhibit, which received an overwhelming positive response from students and teachers.


Feedback from Teachers

“I thoroughly enjoyed my visit as well as my students. The students still talk about the trip. It was so amazing to see that they made a connection with the butterfly garden that we’d just made the day before the field trip. Now they want to keep their gardens free of any type of obstructions so that they may see butterflies in their own garden. Thank you for making this trip purposeful and for giving our students a new outlook on our ecosystem. Your staff is wonderful! That was one of the best field trips that I have experienced in a very long time.”




Summary

The Fairchild Explorer Program, a series of grade-specific field studies at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden (FTBG), immerses elementary age students in various hands-on activities designed to unearth their inner scientist and help them understand the natural world. This year, three new programs and two updated programs were offered, covering topics from botany basics to rainforest exploration to conservation in native ecosystems. During the 2014-2015 school year, more than 4,600 students, teachers and chaperones participated in the Fairchild Explorer Program.

Program Goals and HistoryThe Fairchild Explorer Program was designed to enhance science education for elementary school students in Miami-Dade County, increase student understanding and appreciation of ecology, plants and nature, and encourage them to become good stewards of their environment. Garden-based field studies at Fairchild integrate the needs of teachers and students, current state academic standards, and the Garden’s educational goals.

The program was launched in 1980, and has grown and evolved considerably over the last 35 years as a collaborative effort between Fairchild staff, volunteers and Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ (M-DCPS) teachers, students and curriculum specialists. Initially designed for fifth grade students, the program now offers multidisciplinary environmental programs for students in kindergarten through grade five, from both public and private schools.

Outline and HighlightsThe Explorer program entices K-5 students to discover the wonderful world of tropical plants and ecosystems in the most beautiful outdoor classroom in Miami-Dade County. The field studies are hands-on, inquiry based, experiential programs for students in public, private and charter schools. Field studies curricula are correlated to state academic standards for elementary school science, math, language arts, social studies and physical education. Program alignment with these standards helps prepare students for standardized testing. This year, three new programs were introduced, and all programs were re-developed to be accessible to multiple grade levels. This allows teachers to select the program best suited to their individual needs and schedules, thus creating more opportunities for students to experience Fairchild’s unique outdoor environmental education.

The distinguishing features of the Explorer program are:

• Programs deepen students’ real-world understanding of science, language arts and math concepts that are a part of classroom curricula.

• Teachers receive pre- and post-visit materials (correlating to state academic standards) to prepare students for the field study and extend the learning experience beyond their visit.

• 3-hour programs include unearthing the students’ inner scientist by: getting their hands dirty while propagating plants; exploring the ecosystems in the Garden through walking tours; and learning to use hand lenses to get up close with the flora and fauna at FTBG.

• Small group sizes of 10-15 are led by Fairchild educators and trained volunteer guides who assist students in their discoveries.

• In addition, each participating student receives a goody bag, including a recycled newspaper pencil, a hand lens and a 4-person family admission pass valued at $100 so they can return to Fairchild with their family.

• This year, two of the Explorer programs, Our Native Ecosystems and Secret Lives of Plants were integrated with the Million Orchid Project. Students who attended either of these programs planted and took home a lab grown native orchid (Bletia purpurea).


Curriculum

The Explorer program includes five distinct curricula, targeted to specific grade bands: • Nature and Me (Grades K–2): introduces young students to the basics of botany and how all

living things rely on plants.• Butterflies, Botany, & Beyond (Grades K-2): presents opportunities to observe native and

exotic butterflies and highlights the unique relationship between butterflies and plants, and the important role pollinators play in our everyday life.

• Tropical Rainforest Exploration (Grades K-5): investigates adaptations, biodiversity, and conservation, all while thinking as plant explorers in a tropical rainforest.

• Our Native Ecosystems (Grades 3-5): examines the characteristics of ecosystems and how the different components of each are interdependent by exploring pine rocklands and mangrove habitats.

• Secret Lives of Plants (Grades 3-5): explorers plant history, adaptations, diversity, and conservation through the exciting world of orchids.

AttendanceStudents who participate in the Fairchild Explorer Program reflect the ethnic and socio-economic diversity that make up Miami-Dade County’s population. The program has a maximum capacity of 60 students per day, and is offered Monday through Friday from October through May.

During the 2014-2015 school year: • 4,124 students, 268 teachers and 219 chaperones participated in the program. • Groups from 57 different schools visited for a total of 103 visits.• 38% of visits were from schools that receive Title 1 funding.• 35% of visits were from independent schools.

Program EvaluationThroughout the year, Fairchild staff evaluated various components of the program. Instruments used include:

• Program-specific teacher questionnaires• On-going observation, informal questioning and feedback from teachers and volunteer guides • Thank you letters from students (please see page 7 for student quotes)• Volunteer guide annual survey • Feedback sessions with volunteer guides conducted at the end of the year

Teacher questionnairesEvery teacher visiting Fairchild with his/her students received an email with a link to an electronic questionnaire regarding materials sent for use in the classroom and their experience at the Garden. The feedback provided in these questionnaires allows Fairchild staff to make programmatic changes with greater degrees of confidence. Analysis of these responses can also be used as a measure of overall teacher satisfaction.

A total of 63 completed questionnaires were used to create the following results: • 97% of teachers would recommend the program to another teacher; 94% of teachers anticipated

participating in the Explorer program in the future.• 86% of teachers gave the planting activity and the butterfly conservatory the highest possible

ranking, and most teachers ranked all the day’s activities as above average.

When asked what the most valuable aspect of the field study was, most teachers pointed to the hands-on activities and the butterfly conservatory, as well as the excellent volunteer guides and the students’ increased appreciation for nature.


• 97% of teachers who used the pre-visit activities rated them as above average. Teachers who did not use the pre-visit activities noted this was due to lack of time, a different subject teacher using them, or not receiving the materials from the lead teacher.

• 96% of teachers who used the post-visit activities rated them as above average. Teachers who did not use the activities noted reasons including time constraints or using their own activities instead, while some stated their plans to do them in the future.

• Many teachers wrote in positive comments concerning the new material, volunteer guides, and the benefit of the hands-on activities (please see page 8 for teacher quotes).

Summary and VisionIn 35 years, the Explorer program continues to be very popular. Input from Fairchild staff, volunteer guides, teachers and students indicates tremendous appreciation of the program. Formative evaluations continue to be a priority as we value the input of all stakeholders in keeping the Explorer program meaningful, relevant, effective and well attended.



Plant Mobile/Homeschool Program


PlantMobile

For those students that are unable to take a field trip to Fairchild or for those schools that wish to supplement their curriculum with hands-on activities, Fairchild offers the PlantMobile, which travels to schools to do classroom plant-based lessons. The PlantMobile program is a lively, hands-on experience that supplements botanical and ecological classroom teaching. Through the PlantMobile’s five distinct programs, Rainforest Relationships, Kitchen Botany, The Secrets of Seeds, Plants and Pollinators and newly launched Roots to Shoots, we reached 589 students at 8 different private and public schools across the county. 4 of the schools are title one schools.

Rainforest Relationships

Kitchen Botany: From Flowers to Food

Secrets of Seeds

Plants and Pollinators

From Roots to Shoots

Teachers are asked to fill out an online evaluation at the end of the PlantMobile program. The overwhelmingly positive responses reveal that the program is effective and that both students and teachers had a positive experience.

• 100% of teachers responded that the student’s response to the PlantMobile program was very positive or positive.

• 100% of teachers had a very positive or positive experience with the PlantMobile activities.

Homeschool Program

On five separate days, 43 homeschooled students and 27 parents explored and learned about the beauty, diversity and ecological importance of plants and the animals that depend on them. The Homeschool guided programs are especially designed for children between the ages of 5-12 and include hands-on lessons where every child can see the world as Fairchild’s botanists do. South Florida Ecosystems: Families explored a few of South Florida’s ecosystems and the biotic and abiotic features that make them unique. They learned how to identify key native plant species from each habitat and participate in hands-on activities that taught participants about South Florida’s unique tapestry of life.

Butterflies Wings of the Tropics:While surrounded in a world of color and patterns, the homeschool families learned about the beautiful insects called butterflies. Participants investigated the interdependent relationship between butterflies and plants and became skilled in identifying various butterflies, as well as understanding the importance of host and nectar plants and the different stages of the butterfly life cycle.

Tropical Rainforests: Homeschool families took a journey with us as we explored South Florida’s largest tropical rainforest model. Through hands-on exploration, participants learned about rainforest plant adaptations, the resourcefulness of the rainforest people in mastering the use of these plants, and the diversity of the rainforest.


Plants from Around the World: Participants explored Fairchild’s Tropical Fruit Pavilion and discovered first hand some of the amazing foods from far away places that can be grown here in South Florida. They were amazed to discover that all parts of plants are eaten, including the roots, stems, flowers and bark!

Plant Animal Interactions:Plants and animals have evolved to have special kinds of relationships, often times depending on one another for their survival. Scientists have to use keen observation skills to learn about these relationships. Homeschool families explored animal tracking, cryptic and warning coloration, mimicry and so much more!

Via an online survey (Survey Monkey), parents are asked to complete an evaluation form at the end of the Homeschool program. The overwhelmingly positive responses reveal that the program is effective and that both students and parents had a positive educational experience.

• 100% of parents said that the program was easy to understand, and that the materials were appropriate for the students.

• 100% of parents said that the program increased the students’ appreciation of our local environment.

Feedback from parents:• “Thank you for having patient and helpful teachers in the homeschool program. We enjoyed Laura

and Kiki. We would like to attend their program more often.”• “(The most valuable aspect of the program was) seeing the difference(s) in the three ecosystems and

why they are important to our area.”• “Miss Kiki and Miss Laura were great leaders. Very knowledgeable, approachable and great at

making the lessons appropriate for all ages.”



Community Outreach, Special Groups, LEAF and Summer Camp


Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden’s Community Outreach program had a very active and impactful year. The Community Outreach program continues to reach out to Miami-Dade County’s diverse residents that would otherwise not be able to experience the many benefits of Fairchild’s exceptional education programming. By leveraging partnerships with other organizations, participating in community events, educational presentations, professional development workshops, and other venues, Fairchild’s educators provided outreach to thousands of people across the county with information, resources and experiential activities related to the world of tropical plants and their conservation, thus strengthening Fairchild’s mission: Explaining, exploring and conserving the world of tropical plants.

Festivals and Community Outreach EventsThrough local festivals and community events, Fairchild offered programming to more than 45,100 people this year. Offering plant-themed activities, hands-on educational displays, and information about Fairchild’s education programs, we were able to appeal to audiences that are culturally diverse and spanning multiple generations. This year, Fairchild educators had an outreach presence at the following events:

Festivals at Fairchild• Bird Festival – 1,700• Ramble: Featuring the Food and Garden Festival – 6,000• Chocolate Festival – 10,800 • International Orchid Festival - 8,500• Spring Garden Festival – 3,800• Mango Festival – 10,000

Festivals and Education Events in the Community • Baynanza at Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserves~800• Barry University Earth Day ~300• MC2 YOUTH TECHNOLOGY SUMMIT~ 200

* Approximate number of people reached (~)

During Career Days students learn about the many diverse and exciting careers in the world of tropical plant conservation ranging from research, conservation, horticulture and education.

Career Days presentation at schools across the county • Colonial Drive Elementary• Amelia Earhart Elementary• Fairlawn Elementary• Gateway Environmental Center• Hialeah Senior High • Aventura Waterways • Snapper Creek Elementary

Other ActivitiesFairchild Tropical Botanic Garden continues to serve the county as an important resource and valuable community partner. Fairchild outreach staff actively partners with many organizations county-wide and beyond. These partnerships are vital to identify and fill gaps and needs in the greater community, prevent duplicity of efforts, share resources and support each other’s programs and events, and create a stronger network of environmental educators. In addition to the above activities, our Community Outreach program had an important presence in many other local initiatives, including:

• Environmental Education Providers (EEP) Board Member and host meetings.• Miami Dade County Cultural Affairs – Community Affairs Grant Panelist.• Coral Gables Museum- City Green- Curriculum Development• Brucie Ball memorial garden consultation


Additionally, through our Community Outreach program, we were able to offer passes, memberships, and/or in-kind donations of native plants to community members and organizations upon request.

SummaryFairchild Tropical Botanic Garden has a wealth of botanical and educational resources and programming of benefit to the greater community of Miami-Dade County. Through the Community Outreach program, we are constantly extending the breadth of these programs into the further reaches of the county. Through our efforts, we are poised to meet a growing interest and demand in issues of the environment, community, and sustainability. Our programs are constantly adapting to become inclusive so that all members of our community can benefit from our expertise and enjoy our educational programs. We look forward to continuing our mission of celebrating nature, cultivating minds, and inspiring action now and into the next years.

Special Group Tours at FairchildThrough specially arranged programs, workshops, and lectures at the Garden, our Community Outreach Program allowed us the opportunity to reach several diverse groups. These programs are individually tailored to meet the needs of each group. During these experiential visits, guests might participate in a variety of activities, including career day presentations, ethnobotanical tours of the rainforest, explorations of plants and their pollinators in the butterfly garden, and hands-on demonstrations of how to propagate plants through seeds and cuttings. This year, those participating in the Community Outreach Program visited Fairchild’s Wings of the Tropics exhibit, where guests observed hundreds of exotic butterflies and hummingbirds in an enclosed tropical setting. In many of these cases, circumstances such as cost, proximity or special education needs might have otherwise prevented these groups from experiencing all that Fairchild has to offer, so the impact is all the more important and appreciated.

Junior Naturalist Summer Camp During six weeks of Summer 2015, Fairchild hosted its Junior Naturalist Summer Camp. Each week an average of 25 campers ranging in age from 6-11 explored the Garden as they engaged in themed based hands-on activities tailored to meet all learning styles; in total 150 campers earned the honorable status of “Junior Naturalists”. The camp sessions were divided by themes: The Great Outdoors, Where the Wild Things Live, Plant-Animal Interactions, Earth, Sea and Sky, Experimenting with Nature and Caring for our World. Parents had the choice to enroll their children in all of the six weeks or pick and choose the sessions that best fit their busy schedules; many campers came for several sessions. Each week the new set of campers started their Garden exploration with a tram ride that was especially narrated to meet the week’s theme. Campers heard interactive presentations from guest speakers from thought the community including: Young Friends of the Everglades, The Florida Agricultural Extension Service, Fairchild Horticulturists, and others.

Let’s Explore at Fairchild (L.E.A.F.)This year, Let’s Explore at Fairchild (L.E.A.F.) re-launched as a partnership between the Education and Visitor Experience departments. Programs were held every second and fourth Saturday and Sunday from 10:30am-2:30pm in the Learning Garden area. Raised bed gardens were added behind the chickee hut for L.E.A.F., where participating families were involved in the planting and care of a pizza garden, a sensory garden, and a veggie garden. Content and activities were designed to appeal to families of all ages, with an emphasis on hands on exploration of nature related topics. Each week a new theme was presented, with corresponding learning centers, take home activities, plantings, and informational handouts. Popular themes included Trees, with special guests from the Woodturner’s Guild, Water Conservation, Art in the Garden, Pollination Pairs, and Carnivorous Plants. Over the course of the year, approximately 800 people participated in L.E.A.F. family programming. Both repeat attendance and verbal feedback were overwhelmingly positive; plans are underway to do more formal evaluation of programming in the upcoming year.



Professional Development Program


INTRODUCTIONOver the course of the 2014-2015 academic school year and the summer of 2015, 770 teachers from across Miami Dade County attended Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden’s (FTBG) professional development workshops. This year, Fairchild offered 10 one-day workshops, a one 10-day workshop and The Fairchild Challenge, immersing teachers in the wonderful world of tropical plants, their basic biology, how they adapt to their environment, why they are important in our lives, and how teachers can use the outdoors as a living laboratory and classroom to reach thousands of South Florida students.

All of FTBG’s Professional Development workshops are taught through a combination of lecture, labs, discussion, outdoor instruction, and hands-on activities, with an emphasis on pedagogy and standards-based learning. Teachers receive a wealth of resources during the workshop, including printed and plant material, curriculum ideas and lesson plans, laboratory specimens and activity samples, a compact disc of electronic resources, and other applicable materials for their classroom. Fairchild educators work alongside botanists, scientists and other experts in the community to present the course content in an exciting and comprehensive way, as well as to distribute current and locally relevant information in the form of handouts, curriculum, posters and educational resources.

At each of the workshops, we build in time for evaluation and reflection. This evaluation information enables us to ensure our workshops are meeting the teachers’ needs and expectations.

Fairchild offers these workshops in conjunction with Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Workshop proposals are submitted to and pre-approved by MDCPS Curriculum and Instruction staff. Teachers receive Master Plan Points for attendance, upon completion of each workshop, submission of follow-up work and an online evaluation through the My Learning Plan web page. Workshop attendees include teachers of various disciplines from elementary, middle and high school levels. All of the professional development workshops are also available to teachers from independent and private schools.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

The following workshops were taught through Fairchild’s Professional Development program during the 2014-2015 school year:

A. School Garden Workshop

B. South Florida Plants and Ecosystems

C. Ethnobotany

D. Using Fairchild in Your Curriculum

E. Tropical Botany

F. Linking Food to the Environment (LIFE)

G. Flying Wild

H. Promoting research in the classroom: Fundamentals of scientific research

I. Fairchild’s Million Orchid Project

J. The Fairchild Challenge


Additional Professional Development

Additionally, Fairchild worked with MDCPS Department of Career and Technical Education and Teachers from the Biscayne Nature Center, providing an informal workshop giving teachers tools to actively engage their students in the world of plants. The teachers received a guided tour of the Fairchild’s laboratories and learned about the Million Orchid conservation program.

EVALUATION AND FEEDBACK

Based on reflection, assessments and evaluations, we are able to gather feedback on our workshops from participating teachers. Results confirm that these workshops are of vital importance, in high demand, and held in high regard by teachers.

The following responses were recorded from evaluation forms completed by teachers at the end of the workshop:

A. School Garden Workshops (we offered two School Garden Workshops)

School Garden Excellent Very Good Good Satisfactory Poor No answer

Course Content 96% 4% 0% 0% 0% 0%Course Organization 89% 11% 0% 0% 0% 0%Course Materials 89% 11% 0% 0% 0% 0%Hands on Activities 84% 11% 4% 0% 0% 0%Relevance to your program needs 84% 13% 2% 0% 0% 0%

Average 88% 10% 2% 0% 0% 0%

B. South Florida Plants and Ecosystems

South Florida Plants and Ecosystems (n=11) Excellent Very Good Good Satisfactory Poor No

answerCourse Content 80% 20% 0% 0% 0% 0%Course Organization 93% 7% 0% 0% 0% 0%Course Materials 93% 7% 0% 0% 0% 0%Hands on Activities 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%Relevance to your program needs 67% 27% 7% 0% 0% 0%Average 87% 12% 1% 0% 0% 0%

C. Ethnobotany

Ethnobotany Excellent Very Good Good Satisfactory Poor No answer

Course Content 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%Course Organization 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%Course Materials 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%Hands on activity 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%Relevance to your program needs 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%Average 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%


D. Using Fairchild In your Curriculum

Using Fairchild in Curriculum Excellent Very Good Good Satisfactory. Poor No answer

Course Content 96% 4% 0% 0% 0% 0%Course Organization 92% 6% 0% 0% 0% 2%Hands on Activities 98% 0% 0% 0% 0% 2%Relevance to your program needs 83% 10% 4% 0% 0% 2%Average 92% 5% 1% 0% 0% 2%

E. Tropical Botany

Tropical Botany Excellent Very Good Good Satisfactory. Poor No answer

Course Study Guides, technology and book 75% 23% 2% 0% 0% 0%

Activities 94% 6% 0% 0% 0% 0%Content presentations 83% 13% 4% 0% 0% 0%Amount of info and skills obtained 88% 12% 0% 0% 0% 0%

Overall delivery of instructor. 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%Average 88% 11% 1% 0% 0% 0%

F. Linking Food and the Environment (LIFE)

Linking Food and the Environment Excellent Very Good Good Satisfactory Poor No

answer

Course Content 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%Course Organization 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%Course Materials 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%Hands on Activities 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%Relevance to your program needs 83% 17% 0% 0% 0% 0%Average 97% 3% 0% 0% 0% 0%

G. Flying Wild

Flying WILD Excellent Very Good Good Satisfactory Poor No answer

Course Content 91% 4% 4% 0% 0% 0Course Organization 78% 17% 4% 0% 0% 0Course Materials 87% 9% 4% 0% 0% 0Hands on Activities 78% 13% 9% 0% 0% 0Relevance to your program needs 70% 22% 9% 0% 0% 0Average 81% 13% 6% 0% 0% 0


H Promoting Research in the Classroom

Promoting Research in the Classroom Excellent Very Good Good Satisfactory Poor No

answerCourse Content 69% 23% 8% 0% 0% 0%Course Organization 85% 8% 8% 0% 0% 0%Course Materials 77% 15% 0% 8% 0% 0%Hands on Activities 85% 15% 0% 0% 0% 0%Relevance to your program needs 85% 15% 0% 0% 0% 0%Average 80% 15% 3% 2% 0% 0%

Teacher feedback from the Promoting Research in the Classroom workshop included the following comments:

I. Million Orchid Project

Million Orchid Project Excellent Very Good Good Satisfactory Poor No answer

Course Content 97% 3% 0% 0% 0% 0%Course Organization 82% 10% 3% 5% 0% 0%Course Materials 95% 5% 0% 0% 0% 0%Hands on Activities 74% 18% 5% 3% 0% 0%Relevance to your program needs 97% 3% 0% 0% 0% 0%Average 89% 7% 2% 2% 0% 0%

Summary

Through our Professional Development program, Fairchild has the ability to reach potentially many thousands of students with information and resources related to the importance of plants, natural ecosystems and their conservation. By educating teachers, we create a direct pipeline that enables us to reach PreK-12 grade students across Miami Dade County, and further Fairchild’s mission.



High School Program


During the 2014-2015 program year, BioTECH @ Richmond Heights 9-12 launched, in partnership with Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden (FTBG) and Zoo Miami, with its first ninth grade class. BioTECH is FTBG’s newest education program and the country’s first botany magnet school.

To help launch the new Orchid Tissue Lab at BioTECH and authentic conservation research featuring Fairchild’s Million Orchid Project (MOP), FTBG staff spent the first 6 weeks of the 2014-2015 school year at the BioTECH campus. Staff introduced students to the MOP history, concept, partnerships and procedures. Procedures and techniques included making orchid growth media, seed-sowing and sterilization best practices, measuring, collecting/analyzing data and transplanting orchids. BioTECH students then launched their regular schedule of visiting FTBG on a weekly and regular basis.

At the Garden, students furthered their studies of South Florida native habitats and orchid species by harvesting native orchid seed pods and learning orchid host-tree and city canopy tree species. Students studied native habitats and used them as living classrooms in which to learn about and collect/analyze data on abiotic and biotic factors. Students also utilized Global Positioning System to study and map species diversification in various plots in FTBG, while familiarizing themselves with Garden geography.

As discussed regularly with the BioTECH students, a major component of learning and practicing the scientific method is sharing the findings found with others. Therefore, students took advantage of many opportunities to share their knowledge with the general public at Fairchild. Students interpreted and represented the FTBG Million Orchid Lab at every major festival held at the Garden last program year. Thousands of public visitors were exposed to and had the chance to learn from the enthusiastic and well-versed BioTECH ninth graders. Students also offered two public, final presentation events at FTBG, further practicing the final components of the scientific method.

BioTECH @ Richmond Heights 9-12 represents a next chapter of education at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. Through rigorous academics and regular exposure to FTBG and the FTBG team, students will develop the skills and interest needed to further pursue conservation biology.



Continuing Education Classes

JULY THROUGH DECEMBER 2015

CLASSESAT FAIRCHILD

JULY THROUGH DECEMBER 2015

CLASSESAT FAIRCHILD

JANUARY THROUGH JUNE 2015

CLASSESAT FAIRCHILD


The Classes at Fairchild have continued to provide our members and the community learning enjoyment through the variety of classes. Students enjoy coming to the Garden too; and taking the class offerings and then strolling through the Garden and having a nice lunch at the Glass House Café. Many students plan their day to include the Garden where they meet up with friends before or after classes. It is a win-win situation for all.

Students still eagerly wait for the schedule to be available online to register for their favorite classes. It has been noted that not just the art and photography classes are being booked on opening day but all classes for every category are being booked. Students are very appreciative of the schedule still being printed. Those schedules printed are only being mailed to a selected Zip Code membership in Miami-Dade County. Additional schedules printed for Garden use are kept to a minimum and are used during festivals, at the Garden Shop entry and for those who become new members.

The success of the Classes at Fairchild is the unique professionals contracted to teach the variety of classes being offered. It is an asset for Fairchild to have such hard working and dedicated professionals from all walks of life and who take such pride in teaching their students. Many express how wonderful it is to be able to say that they work at Fairchild. This also goes along with a list of the Garden’s talented staff who contributes to the classes.

For combined 2015 winter and summer/fall seasons 266 classes are being offered. Winter’s enrollments totaled 906 and currently for the summer/fall classes we have 246 students enrolled and most of the fall classes will be starting in mid-September.


Winter Classes 2013 through 2015 Comparisons

SeasonIncidences of

Enrollment Classes Offered Gross RevenuesW2013 1033 140 $78,864.00

Art 323 42 $48,819.00 Cuisine 122 11 $5,415.00 ENP 51 6 $1,140.00 Family Fun 8 2 $800.00 Garden Crafts 62 13 $2,265.00 Horticulture 177 15 $5,710.00 iPhoneography 69 11 $2,980.00 iTechnology 36 10 $1,920.00 Photography 185 30 $9,815.00

W2014 673 111 $54,454.00 Art 263 30 $36,730.00 Cuisine 95 12 $3,995.00 ENP 12 4 $255.00 Garden Craft 31 9 $1,129.00 Horticulture 132 16 $4,890.00 iPhoneography 17 4 $960.00 iTechnology 9 4 $240.00 Kids/Family 22 9 $2,480.00 Photography 86 22 $3,600.00 Technology 6 1 $175.00

W2015 906 109 $84,915.00

Art 286 27 $52,305.00 Cuisine 118 10 $5,435.00 Garden Jewelry 13 7 $605.00 Horticulture 181 22 $8,645.00 iPhoneography 71 8 $2,970.00 iTechnology 25 4 $800.00 Kids/Family 9 1 $1,560.00 Kids/Family Fun 31 4 $3,965.00 Photography 172 24 $8,630.00 Sculpture 2

Grand Total 2612 360 $218,233.00


Summer/Fall Classes 2013 and 2014 Comparisons

Season Incidences of Enrollment Classes Offered Gross Revenues

SF2013 758 95 $49,492.00 Art 191 22 $26,397.00 Cuisine 126 10 $5,340.00 Garden Crafts 21 6 $745.00 Horticulture 235 15 $6,810.00 iPhoneography 30 4 $1,670.00 iTechnology 49 11 $1,515.00 Kids/Family 18 7 $2,850.00

Photography 88 20 $4,165.00

SF2014 662 63 $48,838.00 Art 214 21 $30,668.00 Cuisine 113 8 $4,860.00 Horticulture 199 14 $7,300.00 iPhoneography 51 7 $2,065.00 iTechnology 10 3 $395.00 Photography 75 10 $3,550.00

Grand Total 1420 158 $98,330.00

In conclusionFairchild continues to offer quality classes to its members. In the education department we are always striving to keep that personal touch with our audience. We deliver a good product and those members tell others and we have a nice flow of constant new students taking classes. Every effort is made to accommodate the students from online assistance to sending reminder emails of their upcoming classes. Our goal is to continue to offer and maintain a range of successful and stimulating garden - based classes whose enrollment includes Fairchild members and the community at large.

This is one of the many video slides created to promote classes on the TV monitors throughout the Garden.


Fairchild Artists in Bloom is a favorite springtime event at the Garden. For its 9th year this art show was moved to mid-April to attract more art connoisseurs still here in South Florida. Opening night attracted a nice crowd of over 250 attendees and sales were higher than last year. Ideas are being discussed for how the show’s 10th anniversary year will be celebrated. It has been decided to keep the show in April and hopefully extend opening night invitations to a broader audience and to get more marketing about the show into the community.

The following is a chart with displays the breakdown of moneys paid to the artists who have participated since the Garden initiated selling artwork in combination with FAB show and sale.

Fairchild Artists in Bloom – 2008-2015

Show Year 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Grand Total

Sum of TTL to FTBG $803 $1,057 $1,406 $425 $1,167 $956 $434 $1,675 $7,922

Sum of TTL to Artist $4,549 $5,988 $7,965 $2,410 $6,613 $5,417 $2,461 $6,340 $41,741

NOTE: 2015 FTBG started taking a 20% commission; in prior years a 15% commission was taken

Lastly noted the Garden’s Master Calendar entries are at an all-time high with over 4,432 entries to date. Spaces for all events from weddings to meetings are constantly being entered on a daily basis. There are weeks in 2016 where there are no rooms available.

Documents

2014-2015 Education Annual Report