During the school year 2011/2012, several schools of the region of Caldeirão accepted our invitation to participate on a group of environmental education and awareness activities on the Iberian lynx and the black vulture. After hearing a talk and playing a quiz about LIFE Habitat Lince Abutre, about 250 students from the 5th grade to high school accepted to participate in our challenge ‘Help the Iberian lynx and the black vulture’.

The challenge consisted of the elaboration of a final school project about the LIFE project Habitat Lince Abutre and its target species, in the artistic area (music, theater), literary (tale, comics, awareness materials), data processing and audiovisuals (blogspots, videos, games).
At each school, the projects were evaluated by a jury composed of three elements (a member of the technical team of LIFE Habitat Lince Abutre, the animator responsible for the environmental education activities and a representative of the civil parish).

The first school that received us was EB 2,3 Poeta Bernardo Passos, in São Brás de Alportel, where students from the 8th grade of that school and two classes from the 10th grade of Escola S. José Belchior Viegas presented their school projects.

Participants of the School Challenge of the schools EB 2,3 Poeta Bernardo Passos and Escola S. José Belchior Viegas - São Brás de Alportel

In the category ‘Tales’, the winners were Alicia, Joana, Yara, Maia and Ricardo, from class B (10th grade), with the tale “Felince” – a history about a happy lynx.

'Felince' – 1st prize in the category 'Tales'

In the category creative comics, the winners were 3 students from class D (8th grade) with beautiful cartoons about the ‘Real Threats’ faced by the Iberian lynx and the black vulture.

'Real Threats' – 1st prize in the category 'Creative Comics'

In the category ‘awareness materials’, Paulo and Daniela from class D (8th grade) presented the sticker ‘Preserve the lynx and the black vulture’ – a project that earned the first prize for the technical precision of the drawings and strong message transmited.

‘Preserve the lynx and the black vulture’ - 1st prize in the category 'awareness materials’

The next stop was São Bartolomeu de Messines, where we headed to the school EB 2,3 João de Deus.

Participants of the School Challenge of the school EB 2,3 João de Deus - São Bartolomeu de Messines

Although the students from class D, grade 5, presented an interesting and dynamic theater play, the 1st prize was given to their colleagues from class C, grade 5, that sang and enchanted us with a beautiful adaptation of the song ‘Vejam bem‘ (Watch carefully) of Zeca Afonso (a famous Portuguese musician), whose lyrics alerts to the need for the conservation of the Iberian lynx, the black vulture and its habitats in Portugal – a song that remained inside our ears!

Students singing an adaptation of Zeca Afonso’s song 'Vejam bem' – 1st prize		Theater play about the Iberian lynx – 2nd prize

We than headed to the school EB 1,2,3 de Salir, where three classes of the 5th grade surprised us with very distinct and creative projects!
The decision wasn’t easy, due to the diversity and quality of the projects… However, the 1st prize was given to class A that made an interesting identity card for the species along with games (cross words and alphabet mix) allusive to key concepts learned during the awareness activities they formerly promoted by the project at their classrooms.

Class that won the 1st prize of the School Challenge at Salir

The 2nd place was attributed to class B who elaborated an illustrated tale, and the 3rd place to class C who sang a very amusing song played with a tambourine! These students made an excellent team work, and their enthusiasm and effort was praised by the jury.

		Class B and C – winners of the 2nd and 3rd prizes of the School Challenge at Salir

The School Challenge ‘Help the Iberian lynx and the black vulture’ ended its journey to the region of Caldeirão at the Professional School of Alte. The challenge was embraced by its five classes: 1st year of the technical course of Food Processing and Control, 1st year of Tourism (classes A and B), 2nd year of Computer Science and Management and the 3rd year of Building Construction.

Participants of the School Challenge of the Professional School of Alte

These multifaceted students exhibited a great diversity of projects, such as blogspots to the disclosure of the project, the Iberian lynx and the black vulture, a promotional video, a peddy-paper activity for the population, notice boards for tourists, and a real sized replica of an Iberian lynx, made with iron and paper pulp. However, the big winners of School Challenge were the students of the professional course of Computer Science and Management, that developed a boardgame about the species – ‘Glória selvagem’ (Wild Glory) – and developed a digital support for it. These students were invited by LIFE Habitat Lince Abutre to available their game in a digital support to all the visitants of the project’s official webpage.

Project presented by the professional course of Computer Science and Management, at Alte – 1st prize

The LIFE project Habitat Lince Abutre congratulates all the participants of this initiative, for their effort and dedication throughout these months; as well as their teachers and animators, also for their effort and constant motivation of the students.

Soon, all their projects will be disclosed at our website!
Meanwhile, we invite you to see at our Facebook the video of the students that won the first prize at São Bartolomeu de Messines, with their version of the song “Vejam bem”!



LIFE Nature project Habitat Lince Abutre thanks once more to the presidents of the Civil Parishes of São Brás de Alportel, São Bartolomeu de Messines, Salir and Alte, for having accepted our invitation to join the jury of this contest. We also thank to all the schools and their teachers, for having accepted this challenge.

* The environmental education and awareness activities were performed by professionals of In-Loco, a local association for development and citizenship, that keeps a constant proximity to local communities in the interior of Algarve and Alentejo.