AUGUSTA — The freezing temperatures Monday morning did not stop students at Sylvio J. Gilbert Elementary School from racing outside to kick off a four-week competition that will have them battling more than a dozen Maine schools for a chance to win up to $5,000.

The school’s roughly 380 students lined up Monday morning behind fourth graders Annie Dow and Lyla Dalloff, who led a dance to Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling,” as part of a ceremony to begin the school’s participation in WinterKids Winter Games.

The competition requires students to complete various outdoor learning challenges, ranging from physical activities to nutritional challenges, to earn points for their school.

The event, in its sixth year, is put on by WinterKids, a Maine-based nonprofit that promotes outdoor activity in the winter.

The Gilbert School, which has not participated in the competition until this year, joins Helen A. Thompson Elementary School in West Gardiner as the only central Maine schools taking part in this year’s games. Several other schools in the region have signed up for the organization’s non-competitive version.

Fourth grade teacher Gretchen Nickerson began working at Gilbert this past year, after working in Gardiner-based Maine School Administrative District 11 for 15 years. She introduced WinterKids to Helen A. Thompson Elementary School, and when she got to Augusta realized more students could benefit from its programs.

“I saw a community that is so different,” Nickerson said. “There are more transient students. There are some without a backyard or a yard to play in. I thought, ‘What a great opportunity to bring WinterKids to this school.'”

Nickerson said she was also inspired over the past couple of years by students’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. They have not been able to play games with one another or be involved with the community like they were before pandemic guidelines, she said.

At Gilbert School on Monday morning, Nickerson’s students could not wait to go outside to perform the dance and be a part of the competition. Leading up to the event, they received “swag,” such as hats, flying discs and reusable cups.

Augusta School Resource Officer Paul Doody reminded students at the opening ceremony to be safe in the winter, namely with ice fishing and other ice-related activities, because many lakes and ponds are not frozen enough yet. He suggested students wait until the ice is 8 inches thick before they walk on it. He also reminded them to bundle up.

Arianna Doyon, a fourth grader, wanted to be the first in line to get outside.

Doyon said she was “excited” because they “never did this at (her) old school,” adding she likes winter activities and being outside in the winter more than she does in the summer.

“There is more to do,” she said.

Students at Thompson School had their opening ceremony a few hours later, at 1 p.m. Monday.

Each week, there will be a different challenge for students — and sometimes their families. The first week, which began Monday and is scheduled to end Friday, is focused around outdoor activities. The second week’s theme is nutrition, the third week is family engagement and the final week is the winter carnival. The competition is scheduled to conclude Feb. 3.

The students will be graded on the number of activities they complete in a week. If they exceed their goals, they receive four points on the WinterKids rubric.

The most points across the 16 participating school receives the grand prize of $5,000. Second and third prize receive $3,000 and $1,500, respectively, and each spot thereafter receives between $750 and $250.

Principal Christina Boursaw of Sylvio J. Gilbert Elementary School said winning the money would mean the school could form a parent-teacher association, which it has not been able to do so far, and dedicate some of the money to buying more playground equipment.

“We don’t really have the extra funding to get (the playground equipment),” Boursaw said. “Some of the kids are really excited about it, too, and suggested things like snowshoes — things that aren’t exactly cheap, but could be bought with the money.”

With the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges from the past couple of years, many students have had a difficult time with their reading skills. If Gilbert School wins, Nickerson said it could buy electronic pencils similar to the LeapFrog LeapReaders, which help students read and sound out words.

Students will be able to track how their school is doing in the competition by watching WMTW-TV on Tuesdays, between 4 and 5 p.m. and 6 and 6:30 p.m.

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