With arms waving to mimic the grasses of the Everglades, almost 250 middle-school students and their teachers across the county began the Fairchild Challenge at Palmetto High School in Pinecrest.

Many came dressed for the challenge -- as turtles, egrets, tourists, panthers and alligators.

After all, it was The Everglades: River of Grass contest hosted by Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Coral Gables.

Participants from 33 schools vied to perform the best original skits of rap, spoken word and music.

This year more points were given for audience participation, so there was an enthusiastic entourage of teachers, families and friends.

Students from Arvida Middle School in Kendall were the first to go on stage.

They quickly had the audience moving to this chant: ``The Everglades suffers and you still don't care? Wave your hands in the air.''

``This is our third year in the Challenge,'' said Arvida's drama teacher, Lesley HoSang. ``It's the first year we've seen this much excitement, and I think it's because of the audience participation addition.''

``It took us a month to prepare,'' added Arvida's creative writing and journalism teacher Ishani Persaud. ``Even though there were only eight students and two teachers on stage, there were 60 students working behind the scenes.''

``All the costumes and materials were reusable items,'' HoSang said. ``We tried to keep everything recyclable from start to finish.''

Jesse Martin, a seventh-grader from The 500 Role Models Academy of Excellence in Liberty City, said the event was the first time he played drums on a stage. He has been drumming since he was 5.

``My favorite part is getting to play music in school,'' Jesse said.

Designed in 2002 for high schools, with middle schools added in 2003, the Fairchild Challenge has encouraged more than 57,000 South Florida students to do the right things to help the environment.

Everglades National Park Superintendent Dan Kimble thanked the middle students for their enthusiasm at the Oct. 29 competition.

``We have a biological marvel. There are no other Everglades,'' he said. ``We have the largest eco-restoration system ever attempted on the planet right here in South Florida. Thank you, students.''

They roared with applause.

Throughout the program, they were equally enthusiastic about their ecological mission.

Students from Frank C. Martin K-8 Center in Richmond Heights dressed in plastic bags and sang to Michael Jackson's Beat It.

Only they improvised with ``Save It. Just save it.''

Many students said they couldn't wait to continue the Challenge, which has 11 options for middle-school students. Points are accumulated through May, and then awards are given to the winning schools.

``This is really fun,'' said Georliam Rodriguez, an eighth-grader at South Miami K-8 Center.

``I learned a lot,'' said eighth-grader Sigure Williams of 500 Role Models Academy.

``The most fun I had was when I was speaking,'' fellow performer Rose Tillett said.

The 500 Role Models Academy Science's Coach Judy Rosenblum said the students brainstormed and wrote everything. They found an Everglades-related word for every letter in the alphabet, such as M for Marjory Stoneman Douglas and N for night blooming epidendrum, an Everglades wildflower.

Students at David Lawrence Jr. K-8 Center in North Miami made their skit into a land over the rainbow.