The cold temperatures and heavy rains on April 30th didn’t keep New Visions Environmental Science students from giving it their all in this year’s Hudson Valley Envirothon competition held on the Sharpe Reservation in Peekskill. Aaron Culotta from Haldane and Haley Kiss, Lauren Martin, and John Scavelli from Mahopac braved the outdoor competition, making their Tech Center teacher, Debbie Ashley, proud. “We placed second in Westchester, and we placed first out of all the schools from Putnam/Northern Westchester,” said Ms. Ashley.
The competition tested students on five environmental topics: soils, aquatics, forestry, wildlife, and current issues. They also give a five-minute oral presentation on a problem-solving scenario on the environment.
“I was so proud of the students,” Ms. Ashley said. “They did a wonderful job and worked many hours outside of school to prepare for the competition. What stood out for me about this group is that they know each other so well. This is a team competition, and they knew who to depend on for each topic and supported each other to meet the challenges and have fun at the same time.”
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Students in the New Visions Environmental Science program at The Tech Center at Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES participate in an in-depth exploration of ecological concepts, aquatics, plant and animal science, environmental problems and sustainable solutions and biotechnology. So they were more than ready for the competition.
The students said competing in Envirothon taught them a lot about sustainability. “Preparing for it really helped us to learn a lot,” said Lauren.
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“I would really encourage students to go to this competition,” said Aaron. “It’s a great learning experience.”
The goal of Envirothon is to encourage students to learn about the natural environment so that they become stewards of the land. In preparation for the event, students develop research skills, practice team building, and gain an appreciation for consensus decision making.
