Fierce Brackets and Fat Bears?

For the brown bears in Alaska, this week means bulking season before a long, sleep-filled winter. For the students at Carnegie Vanguard High School, this week means design challenges and spirited advertising campaigns in preparation for a new annual tradition.

Explore.org’s Fat Bear Week is a single-elimination tournament hosted in Katmai National Park, Alaska. Each fall, viewers watch the bears pack on pounds in preparation for hibernation, and then vote to determine which bear deserves the crown of fattest. The tournament has gained nationwide popularity in recent years, combining wildlife education with a dose of fun competition.

At Carnegie, AP Environmental Science (APES) teacher Hillary Schulze saw an opportunity to bring the competition into the classroom. Instead of simply reading about Fat Bear Week, she asked her students to participate in their own way: through research, creativity, and school-wide engagement.

Hillary Schulze (left) and Honey (right), the class’s Fat Bear Week mascot. (Photo: Chloe Tran)

When asked what made her excited to bring this project into her APES classes for the first time, Schulze explained, “I personally didn’t know about it and it popped up right when the biodiversity unit was starting… This is a very important concept because if the bears go down then everyone under them [on the food chain] goes down. I was just super excited, and you guys caught onto my excitement.”

The project kicked off the Friday before the official competition brackets opened. Students were split into table groups, each assigned a different bear to champion. From there, the classroom turned into a creative hub. Groups designed posters, crafted clever slogans, and even drafted morning announcements to encourage students and staff to vote online. To reach an even wider audience, students created Instagram posts highlighting their bear’s journey, physical changes, and quirks in a Tinder profile format named “Timber.”

Carnegie Vanguard High School’s 2nd period AP Environmental Science Class. (Photo: Hillary Schulze)

Beyond the advertising efforts, the project also pushed students to dig deeper into ecological concepts like biodiversity and conservation awareness. They researched the bears’ ages, cubs, and eating habits, as well as characteristics about Katmai’s environment. Students also examined the history of past champions to predict which bear might come out on top this year.

The enthusiasm spread quickly through the school. Walking through Carnegie’s hallways, it’s hard to miss the posters of uniquely fat bears plastered on walls, or the talk of new advertising on the Carnegie APES Instagram, of which were even nationally recognized and reposted by Explore.org themselves. The recognition and excitement surrounding the project have encouraged Schulze to make Fat Bear Week a returning tradition in her classes.

Fat Bear Week voting is open every day until September 30 at 8 p.m. CST at explore.org/fat-bear-week to anyone, whether you’re a student at Carnegie or not. Nevertheless, Carnegie students are determined to see their chosen bears advance. No matter the outcome, however, one thing is certain: This year, APES class is anything but hibernating.