Brunswick nonprofit spurs Maine middle schoolers to log outdoor time

Any Sagadahoc County middle school serving grades 5 through 8 could have joined a Brunswick nonprofit’s free push to get students outside for more than a week at a time. Teens to Trails ran its annual Life Happens Outside Challenge from May 8 to May 15, asking schools to log every minute students, faculty and staff spent outdoors, whether that meant sports practice, walking dogs, camping in the yard or doing homework in the park.

The contest was built around a simple idea: more time outside can mean less screen time and a stronger connection to day-to-day well-being. Teens to Trails says the challenge helps students and staff build habits around getting outdoors, unplugging from screens and engaging more fully in real life. For local schools, the entry point was straightforward: register with Teens to Trails, then record outdoor minutes as the week went on. Participation was free.

The payoff was competitive as well as cultural. In 2026, the top six schools with the most outdoor minutes could win cash prizes for outdoor activities at their school. The awards were divided by school size, with first place receiving $1,000 and second place receiving $500 in each category. That structure gave small and large schools alike a reason to try, while tying the prize money directly to future outdoor use.

The program carried extra weight because of its origins. Teens to Trails was created in 2006 by Carol and Bob Leone after their 15-year-old daughter, Sara Leone, died in a 2005 car accident. Out of that loss grew an organization that says it has spent about 20 years building a statewide movement to connect Maine students to the outdoors and support their well-being.

The scale has grown with it. In 2025, 25 schools took part statewide, and a 2026 press release said 6,454 Maine middle school students logged nearly 5 million minutes outdoors in a single week. China Middle School students participated enthusiastically, a reminder that the challenge can fit naturally in places already built around outdoor learning. China Middle School, part of RSU 18 in South China, sits near the China School Forest, where trails and outdoor classrooms already give students room to learn outside. That same model could translate easily to Sagadahoc County, where schools and families can use the challenge’s rules at school, at home or anywhere a child can safely spend time outdoors.