ARDMORE, Okla. — The Edmond North High School team placed first at the second annual Oklahoma Envirothon competition held this month at the Noble Research Institute. This was the second year Noble Academy, the Noble Research Institute's youth education and outreach program, hosted the Oklahoma Envirothon competition.
Noble Academy will sponsor the Edmond North team as they represent Oklahoma at the North American competition on July 24-29, in Ontario, Canada. The winning team members are: Elisabeth Alder, Ryan Hollands, Supriya Kohli, Jessica Shepard and Lilian Velasco. The team advisers are Gloria Vass and Richard Opalka.
"This was the students' first time to compete in this contest," Vass said. "The students are disciplined learners and always willing to rise to the challenge to accomplish the goal at hand. I am amazed with their work ethic and calm approach to competition."
The Oklahoma School for Science and Mathematics "B" team placed second, and the Ninnekah High School team placed third.
During the competition, students rotated among four stations that focus on aquatic ecology, forestry, soil and wildlife. Each station includes a written test based on the discussions. Each team also gave a presentation on invasive species, this year's special topic. The presentations addressed the various aspects of invasive species and how they impact aquatic ecology, forestry, soil and wildlife.
"We look forward to competing in the North American competition," Vass said. "It will be a great opportunity to learn more about the competition and to meet students from other states. This will be a great learning experience for them."
The Oklahoma Envirothon is a team-based environmental science competition for high school students and is part of an established North American Envirothon program. "This competition is an exciting, fun way for students to learn about the environment and the issues facing current and future generations," said Frank Hardin, Ph.D., Noble Academy educational outreach manager. "The Oklahoma Envirothon demonstrates the role we have in important environmental issues through in-class curriculum and hands-on field experiences."
For more information about the 2017 Oklahoma Envirothon competition, please visit oklaenvirothon.org. For questions, please contact Frank Hardin, Ph.D., at cfhardin@noble.org or Will Moseley at wamoseley@noble.org.
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The Edmond North High School team placed first at the 2016 Oklahoma Envirothon competition in April. Team members are: Front Row (L to R): Jessica Shepard, Elisabeth Alder and Ryan Hollands. Back Row (L to R): Supriya Kohli, Lilian Velasco.
