2013 Envirothons

This spring has brought much excitement here to Headwaters Park.  The beginning of May is always full of activity and preparation, getting the Park cleaned up from Old Man Winter, planning new projects, and looking forward to hosting over 200 students and advisors for the Erie County Envirothon.

Seneca High School Team working through the Forestry station

The Envirothon is a spectacular event for high school students across the country.  Schools create teams that compete in five categories:  Forestry, Wildlife, Aquatics, Soils/Land Use, and an annual Current Issue.  Students spend the school year preparing for the event, sometimes in creative and really engaging ways.  Some may use flash cards, I.D. books, www.envirothonpa.org as a resource.  Other schools host after-school or weekend study sessions at local nature settings, creek crawls, and travel to various agencies and locales to learn about the topics firsthand.  Somehow, food and fun always become involved:)

FUN!

We are always impressed with the knowledge the students gain throughout the year, especially from those students we see as freshman in high school that participate each year and move on to a very experienced senior, often leading their team.  The competition is strong, yet friendly.  The winner of our county competition moves onto the state competition.  The winning state team moves on to the international competition.  Now THAT is an experience.  Erie County has sent one team on to Nationals and they were an excellent representation of our region and what our students can accomplish.

The intensity of a team from Fairview High School

The high school students were having so much fun each year, middle school teachers and students wanted in on the action.  We at the District complied, and the first Middle School Envirothon occurred in 2011.  It has since grown, and we are continually looking to improve both events for all involved.

Two thumbs up!

No doubt, this event simply would not happen without our volunteers, participating agencies, and generous sponsors.  In 2013, we had the highest sponsorship to this point, thanks to Headwaters NRC Trust, Kohls, First Niagara Bank, Microbac, Gateway Rehab, Lakeview Landfill, S.O.N.S. of Lake Erie, and Silkscreen Unlimited.

Soils/Land Use Station - getting our hands dirty!

Millcreek School District Middle School Team

So, who won in 2013?  Well, for the second consecutive year, a motivated and determined group of junior girls from General McLane High School moved on to the state level.  Not only did they place 14th in states (out of 67 counties), they placed first in the Oral Component!  An excellent job, and Erie County is proud of them and their work.

General McLane High School - 2013 Envirothon winners

For the second year in a row, North East Middle School brought home first place in the Middle School division.  North East teams also tied for 2nd place, and Fairview Middle School brought in a very close third place.  The middle school competition is a little different than the high school event, in that the students at the middle school level also have to complete an oral presentation.  They also have a great opportunity to engage in hands-on activities with local environmental agencies, observing environmentally-oriented careers in the process.  The first place team was awarded a tour of Presque Isle Bay aboard Gannon University's Environaut, an experiential learning vessel utilized in many of the University's studies.  As you can see, North East was pretty excited.

Headed out on the Environaut soon!

 While we were wrapping up the events, planning for 2014 is already underway...