FRIENDSHIP — Students from Friendship Village School (FVS) are participating in the WinterKids Winter Games for four weeks beginning January 8, 2024. Students compete in a series of outdoor physical activity and nutrition challenges designed to help them be active in the winter and learn healthy habits. Each school is encouraged to involve volunteers, parents, healthy eating and active living organizations in their community, and hold a winter carnival to close out the month’s events. This year’s WinterKids Winter Games theme is The Little Things.

Schools applied for entry into the Winter Games, in hopes of earning the top prize – $5,000. All elementary schools in Maine’s sixteen counties were eligible to participate. This year, 16 schools reaching 3,328 children and more than 400 teachers and staff, will be competing.

FVS is the Knox County school for 2024.

Schools competing in the WinterKids Winter Games receive a toolkit full of resources and incentives to help students earn points, including the WinterKids Learn Outside Guide- an easy-to-use resource to help kids move, learn, and explore outdoors while meeting education standards.

“We were thrilled to be selected to participate in the WinterKids Winter Games,” said Terry Steinbeiser, principal of Friendship Village School, in a news release. “This is an exciting opportunity to showcase healthy behaviors with our students, and to work toward earning prizes for our school! We worked hard during the first week of the competition to receive a 100 percent of the points possible. We have a series of activities planned this month, including a Winter Carnival to wrap up the games and visit from Marcus Benner, of the Waldoboro Recreation Department, to teach our students how to play pickleball outside.”

Schools participating in the WinterKids Winter Games accrue points for cash prize awards: $5,000 – Gold Medal School, $3,000 – Silver Medal School, and $1,500 – Bronze Medal School. The remaining schools will also receive cash awards based on their place at the end of the competition. A total of $30,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded by WinterKids this year.

For a complete list of participating schools or questions regarding the WinterKids Winter Games, please visit www.winterkids.org.

WinterKids is the nonprofit organization that helps children develop healthy lifelong habits through education and fun, outdoor winter activity. The organization delivers innovative outdoor programs for families, schools, and communities. WinterKids’ Major Community Sponsor is L.L.Bean. WinterKids’ Supporting Sponsors are Agren, Central Maine Power, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, WEX, Zachau Construction, WMTW Channel 8 and Maine’s The CW. The WinterKids Winter Games is also supported by Hannaford Snack Pals, Backyard Farms, Aroma Joe’s, Kittery Trading Post, and MMG Insurance. Learn more at WinterKids.org.