JUST ANNOUNCED: See the 2012 Challenge Finalists

3-5 Winners

Siemens, Discovery Education and NSTA are pleased to announce the National Elementary School Winners for Grades 3-5 of the 2010-2011 Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge! See the winners from grades K-2, 6-8, and 9-12.

Choose A State To View Winners Team

First Place - NORTH CAROLINA

  • Team Name Passe/Herring

  • Location Charlotte, North Carolina

  • School Barringer Academic Center

  • Teacher/Mentor Mindy Passe & Rachel Herring

  • Description Although classrooms in their school had recycling bins, students on this team noticed that they were not always being used. Their teacher invited a forestry biometrician to help the students learn more about the connection between recycling and trees and the team decided to focus their project on reducing paper waste. They spread the word through posters created from recycled paper, their morning announcements and the school paper and encouraged teachers to use recycled paper for homework and tests. They gathered data by weighing the recycling bins before and after their campaign and were surprised to find that the weight of recycled material actually decreased, until they realized that this was because students and teachers were reducing paper use and reusing paper. They posted their findings on a Glog and the student website and created a video to share to continue the project.
  • Passe HerringView Their Proposal

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Second Place - CALIFORNIA

  • Team Name Bullis Bears

  • Location Los Altos, California

  • School Bullis Charter School

  • Teacher/Mentor Lynn Reed

  • Description After learning that the banks of their local creek were eroding away, students on this team worked together with a local nature preserve to develop an erosion control method and prevent loss of habitat. Students collected data and researched riparian environments and native species to each develop a plan for habitat restoration. The students visited the site to pull up non-native species, plant grass seed, and install an irrigation system, an erosion control blanket and straw wattles. They found that their methods were very successful in preventing erosion and restoring habitat and continue to work with staff at the nature preserve.
  • Bullis BearsView Their Proposal

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Third Place - NEVADA

  • Team Name The Green Team
  • Location North Las Vegas, Nevada

  • School Vincent L. Triggs Elementary School

  • Teacher/Mentor Melissa Herout

  • Description  This team’s project focused on reducing and recycling waste in their lunchroom. They had students recycle one new item per week, such as juice boxes, chip bags, and aluminum cans, through a local organization that pays for certain items and collected data to determine the effect on the amount of recycling. They also instituted “Double Green Days” once a week, during which students were challenged to bring no-waste lunches. The team spread the word by hanging posters, making a bulletin board, and communicating to parents through the school newsletter and regular phone messages. They observed a drastic increase in overall recycling habits. Their team has grown in size and they continue to expand their recycling program.
  • The Green TeamView Their Proposal

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