Two teams represented Sachem North at the Long Island Regional Envirothon competition this year, both of which had tremendous success. The students compete in five environmental categories, aquatics, forestry, wildlife, soils, and a current issue; this year’s topic was sustainable local agriculture.
A sixth category, the oral presentation, is devoted to the current issue. Students are given an environmental scenario and they are required to prepare a solution as a team and present their results to a panel of judges.
Sachem North team one earned first place overall in Suffolk County. They each received a $500 scholarship and will be competing at the NY State Envirothon on May 21st and 22nd. Team one members are Charles Horn, Emily Watson, Natalie DeQuarto, Danielle Paynter and Grant Pham.
Sachem North team two scored first place in the oral presentation. Team two members are Luke Bonardo, Travis Porterfield, Isabel Martins, Jack McGlinchy and Catherine Janda. As first place in the oral presentation, team two presented their solution for a sustainable farm in front of all participants at the closing ceremonies (see photo). The reference materials that students must master for each content area are extensive and the preparation for the 10-minute presentation requires an enormous amount of extra-curricular time and commitment. Their accomplishments are impressive and commendable.
“Envirothon engages and inspires the next generation of environmental stewards in activities that promote the protection, preservation, and restoration of our natural resources, as a life-long commitment,” said Sachem North Envirothon Advisor Monica Marlowe. “The competition also exposes these students to potential college and careers paths by providing hands-on experience in a wide range of disciplines in environmental science. It continues to be an extremely valuable experience for our students.”
