On April 4, Parkway North High School’s Envirothon team won second place at the 2019 St. Louis Regional Envirothon Competition, qualifying for the State Competition on May 2.

Envirothon is an annual event in which high school students assert their knowledge of a number of environmental science topics through a combination of tests and a verbal presentation.

“The goal of Envirothon is to challenge students and educate them on environmental topics that are relevant today,” said senior Josh Prila, a member on North’s winning team.

In preparation for the competition, participants specialize in one of five major categories including Soils, Aquatics, Forestry, Wildlife, and a Current Issue.

“For the competition, we usually go to a wildlife conservation area and get a chance to walk around the facility on our way to each station,” said junior Sydney King, a third year participant and this year’s team leader.

The competition consists of four outdoor stations. One category is tested at each station, and teams are given 20 minutes at each site to submit answers.

“[Envirothon] requires application of knowledge paired with teamwork and shows that science is interconnected in many ways. While we each ‘specialize’ in one subject, we are very collaborative and help each other,” said Prila, “We worked together constantly throughout the competition.”

Envirothon teams consist of five members plus an alternate, so every person makes a big impact on the team. Teamwork, in addition to being prepared, is a great asset going into the competition with hopes of scoring well.

Lorrie Crossett, the sponsor of the Envirothon team, said, “You have 10,000 things you need to know, and only 50 of those things are going to be on the test. So, it’s problem solving. You know clues of how to solve the puzzle, and you have people to help you find a piece you might have been missing.”

In addition to this series of tests, participants are required to present on the Current Issue. This competition’s Current Issue was “Agriculture and the Environment: Knowledge & Technology to Feed the World”.

“The topic for [the oral presentation] changes every competition. We put together a poster board on the oral presentation topic, and each team member talks about the topic as it relates to their specific topic,” said team member senior Hannah Maher.

North’s team was the highest-scoring team in regards to the oral presentation, and four out of the five teammates were new participants in Envirothon this year.

Envirothon team members are given only two weeks to prepare their presentation on the current issue, so the current issue for the State Competition has yet to be announced.

“I’m really proud of just how well our group worked together in general. Everyone had each other’s backs and it was a really fun way to get to know each other,” said junior Yuki Chen, a member on the team.